eICB 2004-2

ISSN 0896 – 0968

Volume XXIII, Number 3 – 2nd Quarter, 2004

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Ethnic Music

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IF UNDELIVERED PLEASE RETURN TO: Tagger Foundation, Castello Sforzesco, Piazza Ducale 20, 27029 Vigevano (PV), Italy

Poste Italiane PP - ECONOMY Aut. DCB/AL/PAVIA N. 0015 du 11/03/04

International Federation for Choral Music The International Choral Bulletin is the official journal of the IFCM. It is issued to members four times a year.

Managing Editor Jutta Tagger, 31, rue Parmentier F-92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Tel/Fax: +33 1 47 48 01 16 Email: jtagger@ifcm.net Editorial Team Eskil Hemberg, Michael Anderson, María Guinand, Lupwishi Mbuyamba, Thomas Rabbow, Dolf Rabus, Mitsukazu Suwaki, Jean-Claude Wi l k e n s Regular Collaborators Jean-Marie Marchal - New CD Releases (jm.marchal@cccwb.com) Werner Pfaff - Repert o i re (werner.pfaff@gmx.net) Kathy Saltzman Romey - Composers’ Corner (romey2001@umn.edu) Jean-Claude Wilkens - Events (jcwilkens@ifcm.net) Texts and Translations English: Jutta Tagger (coordination) Ian Jones (linguistic editing and revision) Sheila G. Prichard (text editing) French: Jutta Tagger (coordination) Marie-Paule Letawe (linguistic editing and revision) German: Dolf Rabus (coordination), Dr. Lore Auerbach (linguistic editing and revision) Spanish: María Guinand (coordination), Juan Casasbellas (linguistic editing and revision) Layout Pádraig Kitterick , Chiara Bartolozzi (Tagger Foundation) Template Design Marty Maxwell Email: marthamae99@earthlink.net Printed by G. Casonato, 27029 Vigevano (PV), Italy Cover Photo by Dolf Rabus The views expressed by the authors of articles are not necessarily those of the IFCM

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Membership & Advert i s i n g IFCM International Office Jean-Claude Wilkens, Secre t a ry General Centro Internacional de la Música de la UNESCO Villa Gadea, E-03590 Altea Spain Tel: +34 96 584 521 Fax: +34 96 688 2195 Email: jcwilkens@ifcm.net Web: www.ifcm.net Fees are payable in US$ or Euro, according to IFCM zones, with credit card (VISA or MASTERCARD) or bank transfer to IFCM account in Belgium: please contact IFCM Secretariat via www.ifcm.net Please notify us of any change of address!

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Tel: +39 0381 691928 Fax: 0039 0381 695016 Email: info@taggerfoundation.org Web: www.taggerfoundation.org Additional copies: USD 8 - Euro 7.50 each

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The Balkans •

Contents

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Editorial Eskil Hemberg

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Dossier: Ethnic Music

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p 38

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The iNames and Why They Matter Marian E. Dolan

p 10

Music from Diverse Cultural Traditions: Perf o rmance Challenges M a ry Goetze

p 13

Teaching Non-We s t e rn Idioms: Pedagogy & Methodology for the Choral Conductor Niels Graesholm

p 17

Israeli • Choral Music: Inherent Traditional Elements Maya Shavit

p 19

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National Ukrainian Choir Festival Mikhail Shukh

p 41

Interview with Andrea Veneración: Founding Choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers Macario M. Ofilada, III

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World of Children’s and Youth Choirs p 47

An Outstanding Children’s Choir: What is it?

Leon Shiu-Wai TONG

Collector’s Corner

IFCM News

p 24

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ft Choral Music in Indonesia: Report from the National Symposium on Choral Music Tommyanto Il Kandisaputra 1 Festival of New 1 Choral Music: A s c h a ff e n b ulirg, Germany - 30th October to 2nd November 2003 Walter Vo rw e r k

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Choral Singing in South Africa: A Nation of Many Cultures Anne Marie van der Walt

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p 36

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In Brief: Extracts from the IFCM Monthly Newsletters to the Board Jean-Claude Wi l k e n s 1 1 7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto, Japan ---

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p 51

New CD Releases Jean-Marie Marchal

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Book Reviews

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Repert o i re

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N o rt h e rn Lights: The World Youth Choir E u ropean Winter Session 2003/2004 J e a n - M a rc Poncelet

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! International The Voices of our Planet: 13th Choral Singing Day Zenaida Vasquez

p 61

Interview with Ernani Aguiar Kathy Saltzman Romey

Choral World News

p 64

The Choral Music of Ned Rorem: A belated 80th Birthday Tribute David Wo rd s w o rth

p 57

Panorama of Peruvian Choral Music Luís Craff-Zevallos

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Composers’ Corner

2003: What a Year! Report from Argentina R i c a rdo A. Denegri

Events

Cantapueblo: America’s Choral Celebration A l e j a n d ro Scarpetta

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Calendar of Events Jean-Claude Wi l k e n s

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ICB Ad ve rt i s e m e n t

Editorial Eskil Hemberg President, IFCM

But the aim of all these centres is the same: to foster choral music in their vicinities and on their continents. Through the collaboration between these different c e n t res, I hope to see synergies in the near f u t u re .

The fourth ring is formed by our conductors’, ethnic, and childre n’s and youth commissions. The latter two we re active in the fall and the minutes of their meetings keep us informed. They are also encouraging to read and take part in. If we could find a more stru c t u red summary of the work of our commissions, this would help our entire work .

And maybe it’s time to start building a f i f t h ring, like in Beijing!

So, as the President of the IFCM, I am pleased that we now have a functioning network around our “inner” centre, the general secretariat, today manned only by our tireless Jean-Claude Wilkens, our ICB Editor - Jutta Tagger, and myself. This means that we should be able to serve yo u even better in the future.

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been active and kept me informed on what is happening in their regions. I have also had some good exchanges of information with our new advisors Maya Shavit in Israel and Philip Brunelle in the United St a t e s .

The third ring is composed of our grow i n g n e t w o rk of regional centres and secretariats.

Namur and Altea have now been joined by Vi g e vano in Italy, Caracas in Venezuela and Busan in South Ko rea. They we re all described to a greater or lesser degree in the January 2004 issue of the ICB and thus are already familiar to you. But as you may have noticed, each of them has a different task, much depending on the situation in each continent. The communications centre in Vi g e vano differs quite a bit from the socio-cultural work in the Andean countries that has been initiated by the Caracas c e n t re .

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Eve ry major city with awell-functioning traffic flow now has a ring-road or even s e veral built around the centre: e.g. He l s i n k i in Finland has three rings and Beijing, when I visited it in 2000, was building its fifth in o rder to re l i e ve the centre and to make the e n t i re city more functional. This metaphor could maybe also be used for the IFCM and our growing international choral life: The first ring is our Exe c u t i ve Committee which mainly consists of five very competent and ambitious Vi c e - Presidents.

They have recently shown their competence in the selection of the choir candidates for the upcoming World Choral Symposium in Kyoto in 2005.

The second ring is formed by our Board of Di rectors and our advisors, who together c over most of the globe. This year I have again had much assistance and joy from our new Board members Annemarie van der Walt in South Africa and Theodora Pavlovitch in Bulgaria, both of whom have

ICB Ed i t o r i a l

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Dossier

Ethnic Music The Names and Why They Matter Marian E. Dolan

Music from Diverse Cultural Traditions: Performance Challenges M a ry Goetze

Teaching Non-We s t e rn Idioms: Pedagogy & Methodology for the Choral Conductor Niels GrĂŚsholm

Israeli Choral Music: Inherent Traditional Elements Maya Shavit

Choral Singing in South Africa: A Nation of Many Cultures Anne Marie van der Walt

The Names and Why They Matter Marian E. Dolan

Multi-Cultural, Multi-Ethnic, World, Non-We s t e rn, Diverse, Trans-Ethnic/Cultural, Indigenous, or Foreign Choral Music?

At the advent of the 21st century, choral conductors face challenges to expand re p e rt o i re beyond the traditional boundaries of the classic Western canon of re p e rt o i re .

Choral conductors in music education or u n i versity settings, in community choir or p rofessional directorships, in sacred or secular choral positions face incre a s i n g challenges to broaden their understanding of various ethnicities and of ethnicallyinfluenced choral music. This essay presents a few thoughts concerning this question of re p e rt o i re, in particular, the issue of terminology. Like many colleagues from English-speaking countries, U.S. conductors call this re p e rt o i re by many names: multicultural, multi-ethnic, world, international, non-Western, diverse, trans-ethnic/cultural, indigenous, or foreign choral music. Each term has specific inferences. Each term p resents a d i f f e re n t lens through which to view the influences on and origins of the music on our podiums.

I divide terminology into three categories, "human descriptives," "compositional issues," and "delive ry elements". The first category contains "human descriptives" such as: ethnicity, race, foreign, international, non-Western, diversity, and cultural manifestations such as the arts, dress, food, worship practices, and social customs. The second grouping consists of "compositional issues" which directly affect the printed s c o re: musical language, composer's b a c k g round, poet's background, text and its theme/s, and the language of the text. The

t h i rd category, that of "delive ry elements," includes the choral ensemble, the listener/s, and the larger concept of concert or liturgical programming.

1. Human De s c ri p t i ves The category entitled "human descriptives" encompasses those elements that identify and distinguish various groups of peoples.

For example, the two terms "multicultural" and "multi-ethnic" are often used i n t e rchangeably within the choral field. Bu t a re "culture" and "ethnicity" synonymous, or a re these terms distinctive? I would argue the latter: distinctive. "Ethnicity" refers to race, sometimes to nationality, and contains an inherently personal element of birthright.

One is b o rn into an ethnicity. Ethnicity or race is i n t e rnal and genetic. I, for example, will always be Caucasian. The term " c u l t u re," howe ve r, refers to all of the external manifestations of ethnicity: food, d ress, language (including dialect and accent), artistic expressions (music, dance, drama, visual art, literature), religious practices, as well as social traditions, habits, customs, and expressions. When we learn and perform choral music, we sing an extern a l i zed expre s s i o n of that particular ethnicity. We learn about that ethnicity through the culture; in our case, through one e x p ression of that culture: the music, specifically the choral music. The term " f o reign" also occasionally occurs in choral conversations. The term implies the viewpoint of the speaker--that what is " f o reign" is so by virtue of the speaker’s ow n point of re f e rence. A "foreign language" may be one with which the speaker is unfamiliar.

"Fo reign" culture might be a culture other than the cultural heritage of the speaker.

Likewise, the term "international" refers to countries other than the speaker’s ow n .

Photo: Marian Dolan

Director of Music & The Arts, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Naples, Florida

Conductors should be sensitive to the fact that the term "foreign" (as in: "that's ' f o reign' to me") may sometimes carry a n e g a t i ve connotation in a way that the more objective term such as "international" does not. In some societies the word "ethnic" also carries deeply negative meaning: to call something "ethnic" means that it is of much lesser value or status. We honor another's c u l t u re by our care with terminology.

2. Compositional Is s u e s This category comprises those elements particular to the written score: the musical language or musical "style" of a give n c u l t u re, the ethnic and cultural backgro u n d s of both composer and text author, any identifiable cultural elements inherent in the theme/s of the text, and all of the va r i o u s compositional and performance issues inherent in the language of the text. A given choral score, no matter the ethnicity of the composer or poet, exhibits two distinct cultural elements: m u s i c a l language/style and t e x t language/style. To re a l l y understand a score, we must study not only the ethnic / cultural influences on the m u s ical language and composer of the work, but also the ethnic/cultural influences on the poetic language and the author.

3. De l i ve ry & Reception Elements This third category re p resents those forc e s invo l ved in both the transmission and the reception of the score, that is, those people invo l ved in the overall "performance" of a given program: in simple terms, the choir and the audience. We know that the musicians who "deliver" the music – the singers – directly affect the interpretation of the score. Be yond the basic makeup, size , and musicianship of the choral ensemble, the

ICB Dossier

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b a c k g rounds of the singers, the gro u p ' s p revious experience in interpretation of various re p e rt o i res, and the cultural and ethnic environment of the community in which the ensemble resides all serve as important interpre t i ve influences. Su c h personal, musical and enviro n m e n t a l elements also apply to the ensemble's conductor. Similarly, the ethnic and cultural b a c k g rounds of the listener/s play an important role in how a given piece of choral music is re c e i ved and understood. This would certainly include both positive and n e g a t i ve experience with inter-cultural experiences in their daily lives. Finally, the conductor's role as creator of the larger concert program is a very significant influence in both the transmission and the reception of the individual work s .

Programming obviously plays a critical role in both the delive ry and the reception of ethnic music. How one piece is placed b e t ween others is critical for how each piece is perc e i ved by the listener. " Multi-" The prefix "multi-," attached to either "ethnic" or "cultural," is an increasingly common choral term. Assuming that "multi" is synonymous with "many", the d e s c r i p t i ve "multi-ethnic" then means "many ethnicities/races." If so, then reflect on the following questions: Can a s i n g l e choral composition be of “many ethnicities/races”? If so, how? If a concert p rogram or worship service contains a piece representative of Caucasian, AfricanAmerican, Asian, and Na t i ve American/First Nation ethnic groups, is this then a “m u l t i - e t h n i c”concert?

Or, if "multi-" prefaces "culture" and we mean "many cultures," then the issues

become more complex. If “multi-cultural” is applied to a single composition, how is the piece "many-cultured"?

• Must the music be of one "culture" and the text another? For example, Jew i s h Canadian composer Sid Ro b i n ov i t c h’s Two Inuit Songs with indigenous Inuit (Na t i ve American / First Nation) texts? Perhaps then, the musical settings of the great Jewish histories, in English language, in the Italian musical style, by German composer Georg Friedrich Händel (Judas Ma c c a b a e u s and Is rael in Egy p t) are also very multi-cultural.

• Or perhaps we accept the term "multicultural" as it is so often used in the United States, signifying music that is "n o n-white Eu ropean," written either by a non-white composer or written in other than a traditional "Western" musical style ( w h a t e ver that is!). But let me push this e n velope a bit further, because we grapple with these issues in the States and perhaps you might also.

• What if a piece is written by a non-white composer but in a ve ry Western musical style? Is this piece still multi-cultural?

Conversely, if a piece is written in a nonWestern musical "style" but by someone not f rom that ethnic tradition, is this really a true "multi-cultural" piece? For example, what do we do with arrangements of a certain ethnic melody or style? If a choral conductor we re to do a program of African-American spirituals, he or she could go to the Musica database and look up arrangements of the African-American spiritual "Go Dow n , Moses" for example. There he/she would find works by persons of no less than seven d i f f e rent nationalities: French, So u t h African, German, Belgian, Swiss, British and yes, both white and black American composers. Which prompts the question: is an arrangement of an African-American

spiritual "multicultural" based solely on the origins of the melody re g a rdless of whether the composer is white-American, Ge r m a n , Finnish, French, or Slavic? Or are there c e rtain musical style elements b e yond the melody that would also need to be present?

Or is the ethnicity of the composer the determining factor? These questions bring us into what, as an American choral musician, I see as critical issues that affect not only the identification of a score, but also the context of how we teach it, how we p rogram it, and even how such a work is published.

• Fi n a l l y, whether we are conscious of the practice or not, certain musical "styles" are often directly associated with a give n ethnicity or culture. This stylistic labeling is particularly true in multi-ethnic countries such as the U.S. For example, does writing in pentatonic harmonies make a work "Asian" (as some arrangers and publishers would have us believe)? Is music with a calypso rhythmic pattern there f o re Jamaican?

Or if a piece has some Swahili text and uses p e rcussion is it then African? I raise these "style" examples because they are part of "multicultural" publishing in the U.S. and because they inform, correctly or not, a conductor's perception of ethnic music.

For all of these reasons, what we call this genre of choral music -- multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, world, international, nonWestern, diverse, trans-ethnic/cultural, indigenous, or foreign choral music – i s important. As we publish, study, and p e rform choral music from an incre a s i n g variety of cultures and ethnicities, our naming of these musics will aid our c o n versation, our understanding, and our p e rformance of an increasingly international choral repert o i re.

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INTERNATl(i'NAL C!HO,RALCQ,NDUCTING WORK'SHOP 1

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Rodney Ei,chenberge ir, ,c ,oo,rdinator

Note All the dossier articles are based on presentations given during “Voices of Ori g i n”, the second IFCM Multicultural and Ethnic Conference held in Jokkmokk, Sweden, 29 September - 3 October 2003.

jt) in Rodirney lhichenber-ge1· J nd Juine l-l ir1çkley Fol'.·m

Guest Ed i t o r s :

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Dr. Marian Dolan, Se c re t a ry of the IFCM Ethnic & Multicultural Commission, holds g raduate degrees in choral conducting from Yale Un i versity School of Music, including the School’s first choral conducting doctorate g ranted to a woman. Clinician, editor, churc h musician, conductor and pro f e s s o r, Dolan also directed the re p e rt o i re / reading sessions for the 6th Wo rld Symposium of Choral Music. She is currently Director of Music & The Arts at Emmanuel Lu t h e ran Church, Naples, Fl o r i d a , USA. (Email: madolu@hotmail.com)

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André de Qu a d ro s is Professor of Music, Director of the School of Music and Artistic Director of the Tanglewood Institute at Boston University. He is a Board member of IFCM and chair of its Multicultural and Ethnic Commission. (Email: adq@bu.edu)

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ICB Dossier

Dossier Music from Diverse Cultural Traditions Performance Challenges Mary Goetze Professor of Music, Indiana University School of Music

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It has become the norm to see childre n’s choirs, all-state bands, and church choirs performing music that comes from such d i verse sources as Serbia, Kenya or Japan.

The number of publications for ensembles based on music that comes from traditions b e yond the western art or popular traditions have increased exponentially over the past ten years. At first glance it would appear that we are doing a fine job of addressing the multicultural interests of performance ensembles, and meeting the 9th National St a n d a rd(1). Howe ve r, if we are to achieve what I believe is the true mission of multiculturalism in education—to acknow l e d g e and validate the numerous cultures that are now re p resented in our school population and to foster tolerance and appreciation of those who differ from ourselves—then we need to do more than sing a song or play a composition based on a non-western melody or text. In this article, I will challenge some of the assumptions held by western-trained musicians that are apparent in the way d i verse musics are typically presented to and performed by ensembles. I will describe a general picture of performance practices that I have observed and participated in as a conductor, teacher and arranger. Then, based on a recent exploration of an a l t e r n a t i veapproach, I will suggest ways in which students can more deeply interact with the music and develop an understanding of the culture from which it comes.

I am going to use the term “d i verse musics” to mean music that originates outside the western art tradition. This term will refer to all music traditions--western as well as nonwestern--that are not studied in a typical college music history course.

First, let’s examine the literature that is

performed by ensembles. Most of the publications of diverse musics are, in fact, arrangements or compositions by a we s t e r n or western-trained musician for a standard western vocal or instrumental ensemble based on material from non-Eu ro p e a n s o u rces. While these arrangements are both valuable and exciting, I am asserting that, because this music is notated and a p p roached in the same way as western music, the experience we provide our students is more of a western art musical experience than a one from a diverse culture.

While in recent years the amount of written documentation about the music has i n c reased in some editions, many existing publications provide only a translation and p ronunciation guide, with minimal or no b a c k g round information about either the music or the culture.

S c o res that are based on a transcription of a n a t i veperformance attempt to be true to the model. Howe ver, the focus of we s t e r n notation is on pitch and duration in a c c o rdance with the waywe s t e r n e r s c o n c e p t u a l i ze, organize and value these elements. Clearly, the 5-line staff fails to accommodate the division of the octave into q u a rter tones, or the complexities of Indian, Tu rkish or scales. Furthermore, there are n u m e rous essential elements for which there is no adequate musical symbol, such as pulsations, surges, slides and ornaments, m ovement, or vocal timbre and pro p e r rhythmic and metric conceptions.

Typically the score is presented to the ensemble like other scores in western notation, requiring the conductor of the piece to investigate the source of the material and the culture to present a more accurate performance.

Though vocal timbres va ry widely aro u n d our globe, the choral ensemble performing

diverse musics will likely employ traditional western choral intonation and timbre. While conductors would change instrumentation in a western piece only as a last re s o rt, we play any available rattle or drum when p e rforming diverse musics.

These insights into western musical practices led me to ask: Will our students sense the unique character of the music when we alter the style in such fundamental ways? Wi l l they experience the quality that makes the music different from western music— that which makes the music expre s s i ve and m e a n i n gfu l within its culture of origin? And lastly, is such an experience consistent with the goals of either music or multicultural education?

I believe it is time to re-examine our methods and their consistency with our goals—time to update our thinking, to acknowledge the extent to which ethnocentricism underlies our educational and musical practices, and to explore a l t e r n a t i ves. In addition to notated music, audio and video recordings of native models, the internet, distance education and CD ROM are available for teaching dive r s e music. Better yet, there are numerous native a rtists performing or even living within our communities who can bring the music and the culture to life for students.

The following suggestions spring from an experimental vocal ensemble at the In d i a n a Un i versity School of Music that I founded four years ago. The ensemble’s goal is to re - c reate music from outside the western art tradition with integrity by learning about the culture and matching as many aspects of the model as is feasible.

1. Honor the culture by deferring to the e x p e rt s — n a t i vemusicians from that culture.

2. Learn as much as you can about how the music reflects the culture, how and where

p rofound value as well. T h rough the experience of accurate re - c reation, students can identify with the makers of the music and sense the complexities and subtleties of the music and the means by which it is learned. Enriched with understanding, re - c reation makes it possible to experience the musical expression on its own terms rather than western ones. The insights students gain into cultures and humanness t h rough making music with integrity and understanding is knowledge that is not attainable through scholarship or verbal e x p ression alone. And of course, this is not only the goal of multicultural education, but the ultimate reason for educating our youth in music and all arts.

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I re a l i ze the challenges this approach holds for instrumental groups. Because of the obvious need for different instruments, it is not possible to achieve accurate re - c reation.

However, students can watch or listen to a n a t i ve group performing the material on which a composed piece is based.

Alternatively, conductors might consider a percussion experience, learned directly fro m an African or Latin American percussionist.

The essence of the approach I am suggesting is 1) to learn and to perform diverse musics the way they are learned and performed in the culture and 2) to develop an understanding of how the music functions within its cultural context. The oral pro c e s s of learning the music has educational and musical value to studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; musical skill development, and I believe it may have more

(Text edited by Allan Fr i e d m a n )

Photo Mar; Goetze

music is learned and performed, if it is a p p ropriate for people outside the culture to learn and perform the music, and if it accompanies extra-musical activities.

3. If at all possible, invite a native of the culture to meet the ensemble in order to foster a personal connection with a re p re s e n t a t i veof the culture.

4. Ha ve the ensemble learn the music aurallyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially if that is the way it is transmitted within the culture. (For trained musicians, looking at a score often limits p e rception, that is, they hear only what they see on the printed page.)

5. In leading students to explore unfamiliar methods of vocal production, teachers should educate students about their voices with sensitivity to individual limitations. It is my finding that with careful conditioning and sensitivity to vocal fatigue, the exploration of multiple vocal styles can be done without risk and may even contribute to vocal facility and endurance.

6. Ha ve the students imitate the visual aspects of the performance care f u l l y, especially any movement as this is downplayed in most Western contexts.

7. If it is a vocal piece, make a re c o rding of an informant who can pronounce and translate the text.

8. Sh ow your respect for the culture by re - c reating the music with integrity, that is, match your performance as nearly as possible to the model (including without a conductor). This re q u i res listening to the model re p e a t e d l y, especially after the gro u p can perf o rm the music.

9. Educate and broaden the musical horizo n s of your audience by sharing information about the music and culture through p rogram notes or spoken comments, if possible, by the informant.

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;Toronto Children s Chorus 1

CONDUCTING INTERNSHIP

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(1) The National St a n d a rds in music describe the knowledge, skills, and understanding that school students should acquire, providing a basis for developing music curricula. The St a n d a rds are voluntarily adopted by d e p a rtm ents of education and school systems a c ross the US.

Paeifie Children~s

Dr. Ma ry Go e t ze is professor of music at the Indiana Un i versity School of Music, chairs the Music in Ge n e ral Studies department and con ducts the International Vocal Ensemble. She challenges the profession to promote cultural understanding through the way diverse musics are presented and perf o rmed. As a clinician, author and conductor, she has educated teachers about childre n’s voices, and through her synthesis of re s e a rch, musical composition and teaching practice, she paved the way for the surge of children’s choirs across the country.

(Email: goetze@indiana.edu)

Founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Barde, the Toronto Children's Chorus offers children ages 7-17 an exccptional artistic and educational experience through the study and performance of fine choral repertoire.The TCC is a 300voice intemationallyrenowned ensemble which perfonns, records and tours worldwide. The successfulcandidatewill have the opportunity to study conducting and rehearsal techrûquesin depth and to become immersed in the TCC's inner artistic & administrativeoperations.This position is located in Toronto for the term of August 16, 2004 to June 24, 2005. Two half tenns of August 16 to December 24 or Januruy 10 to June 24 are also possible. The conducting intem worlcsdirectlywith the Music Directorat music camp (August 16-September4 2004), all rehearsals (Monday, Tuesday, Friday)and approx. fifteenconcerts,as well as on possibletours andrecordingprojects.This positionis ideally suitedto a musicianon sabbaticalleave,who bas a minimum five years'experienceteachingchoral musicin schoolsand/or directing a children's cornmunity choir. If this position interestsyou, submit your curriculumvitae, cover letter and otherpertinentdata by April 15,2004 to: Jean Ashworth Bartle, Foundcr/Music Dircdor

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Dossier

Teaching Non-Western Idioms Pedagogy & Methodology for the Choral Conductor Niels Græsholm Associate Professor, Carl Nielsen Academy of Music, Odense, Denmark

Ethnic Music as a Pro c e s s Implications for Choral Si n g i n g In this discussion I will present an aspect of ethnic singing that is not ve ry often taken into consideration when teaching choral music: the fact that ethnic music is more of a process than a product. How are choral singers invo l ved in creating and deve l o p i n g music within a certain culture and how do you train your singers to be cre a t i ve in the same manner?

In working with ethnic music in a choral context a question arises: What is the ethnicity of the music you are dealing with?

Is it the melody, the text, the rhythms, the voice quality, the phrasing, the accompanying body movements or…? When attending choral festivals and contests that h a ve ethic choral music on the program I h a ve always heard performances of re p roductions, arrangements, or compositions based on “o r i g i n a l” material.

But in preserving ethnic music by notating or recording it, it somehow loses its meaning – especially if, in the process of re c re a t i n g , you just copy what you have learned without adapting to the new circumstances, situation, personal feelings and abilities.

Danish musicologist and choral director Marianne Clausen has spent quite some time studying the song and dance tradition on the Fa e roe Islands and has authored two books on their spiritual songs. (She is, by the way, the daughter of one of our great folk-song g a t h e rers, Karl Clausen, who started his w o rk in 1967.) In her discussion of general characteristics of the language and the performance of the music, Clausen outlines the performance as a fluid process: I have never heard a Danish folk song ve r s e sung in precisely the same manner twice. There

will always be – to a smaller or larger extent – a change of melody and or lyrics, if the same song is sung a couple of times with 10 minute intervals. The song always varies – it is re-sung – and we are dealing with a continuous pro c e s s of re - s i n g i n g .

When the song is “on the floor” – i.e. accompanying dance – you can add or subtract a verse depending on whether the dancing is good or bad. For instance you can use 15 ve r s e s to put a boat in the water if the dancing is good and 2 if it is bad. And you can borrow pro p e r verses from other songs.

Even though there are printed versions of the songs the lyric is never the same. To make the rhythm right for the dance you often have to use e x t ra words to fill out or to omit some – and if you have forgotten something, it is nice that it is OK to change and to borrow from someplace else. ( Marianne Clausen. The Hu n d red and Se ven Songs Book. Thórshavn, H. N. Jacobsens Bókahandil, 1995, page 13. ) C h a r a c t e ristics of Authentic Pe rf o rm a n c e The authentic performance of much ethnic music – the way it is used among the people f rom which it originates might be characterized like this: - Ethnic music is more of a process rather than a product: the music is not a means to itself but is part of something else; you cannot (should not?) re p roduce it in the same manner eve ry time.

- The music has no meaning outside the event where it is created and this event is n e ver the same – the surroundings, the occasion, the mood etc varies. And since the music reflects these parameters it is never the same either.

- In De n m a rk we say, “every bird sings with its own beak,” meaning that you have to sing with your own voice. In many cultures vo i c e

quality is not taught and there is no pro c e s s seeking to change a singer’s sound. Eve ry singer will produce a different quality, range, vocal style etc. and there is no focus on smoothing out differences.

- In many cultures whose music we want to sing they might not have as many mobile telephones, washing machines or cars as people in Western Eu rope but they have something that we miss: TIME. W h e n singing is more of a process than a product spending time at the activity is important – not being effective and getting thing s done in time for the next concert.

Teaching Ethnic Choral Music New roles for Di rector and Choir What are the aspects that you can teach?

The task is actually to reduce your role as a choir director and to give the means to the choir, starting a process in which they will become more and more self-confident and self-ruling and you will become less and less influential to the extent of extinction (as a choral director in the common Western Eu ropean sense)!

Im p o rtant Musical Elements T h e re are two important initial “subjects” to teach: 1) Melodic, lyric, harmonic and rhythmic variations/improvisation 2) Internalization of pulse and “gro ove” Concerning 1): In many ethnic choral c u l t u res – from Greenland to Africa and Latin America – harmonic variation and i m p rovisation is a common phenomenon.

For the purpose of demonstration and time limit I will only deal with the aspect of harmonization and parallel singing.

Concerning 2): This internalization is very

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The Usmifka Women’s Choir

14

important when dealing with music that is relates to or stems from dance-tunes but is also important in music with a more rubato feeling. I use the term “g ro ove” as opposed to “s w i n g” or other similar terms as they often relate to a specific type of music i.e. jazz.

Spontaneous Harmonization In this example I will use a section of a work-song that I learned from a choir d i rector from Africa who studied at the Gothenburg Musikhögskola in Swe d e n , Eddu Bomba: j

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Many years ago I was working with a group consisting of personal from the ANC office in Copenhagen and in at least one occasion when I was teaching a new song they would h a r m o n i zethe tune without even know i n g the melody. Now when I sing this fragment of a song you might want to learn the melody at first but you can also try to h a r m o n i ze it the first time around. Sing anything that you feel appropriate. I could coach and try to make things sound “nicer” or correct according to style and tradition in this case we would need to study music f rom Za i re to find out what this could mean in terms of timbre, treatment of lyrics etc.

If singers are uncomfortable I can ask them to start on a note that they find is “inside” the harmony and then move up or down one note if the chosen note feels uncomfortable or dissonant. If you are working with basses of course jump around a lot – and it takes time to find something that work s .

Parallel singing When we have a harmonic foundation that

w o rks we might want to practice another characteristic of many types of ethnic music: parallel singing.

Sing the song from the previous example.

Ask people not to sing the melody but parallel lines – start on a different note and just follow the shape of the original song.

Often you will find that singers have no p roblem singing parallel thirds or sixths – depending of course on their background.

You can practice this by passing out different starting tones – any one of the tones in the starting chord you have “found” in the p revious exercise. And you might end up with any combination of the following:

Second voice mostly in parallel fourths to the melody:

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Singers will need time and practice on a number of examples to be able to hear the difference between the two, and to select one or the other spontaneously when work i n g with a new and unknown song.

Which solution will “sound correct” and will be chosen at the moment/performed is a matter of style and some of the other factors that I mentioned previously: time and date, Equal voices: Upper third social circumstances etc. And it might end • .ii-,~ ...~-:;:1 .:l..;.lJ.r.;__._j__jJ ID-ja-lrt. .. ... .. ........ up being an odd combination of two, at least ;: __~ ■ .~-,. l • J:_1"';..'"":...,.-:JI'.l until your singers have found their own way. ho-JI-ho. llo-Jl-bo Parallel singing exists in ve ry many musical Equal voices: Lower third cultures from Africa in the south to Greenland in the north, from Eastern Eu rope to Latin America and in many types llo-.il-.., of popular music (that of course has roots in Mi xed voices: Lower sixth A f ro-American music).

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When working with more than two parts t h e reare always several possibilities for “the t h i rdvoice” – the one that is “filling in the last note” when two other voices are singing in parallel thirds or sixths. T h e re are at least two possible ways to go: Second voice mostly in parallel thirds to the melody:

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Working with pulse, rhythm, and meters Some choral directors who have been e xc l u s i vely trained in classical music have difficulty dealing with the pulse, rhythm and meters of many types of ethnic music.

Maybe there is a lack of awareness of the m i c ro-rhythmic level of the music: the length of each note, punctuations, accents, displacements, tiny inflections, cut-offs, stressing etc. etc., factors that are so important for the sense of gro ove in the music. And you have to develop this sense in o rder to teach it to singers.

In this excerpt from the arrangement of the Cuban song Sóngoro Cosongo (which yo u ought to try some time) the music is ve ry often on the downbeat (1) of each bar:

The Usmifka Women’s Choir

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until the music finds a suitable tempo that is organic and steady at the same time i.e. g ro oves. And you might try as conductor to make your beat pattern in 2/4 fit this rhumba-like bass-line - as some Cu b a n conductors do:

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= © 1990 Editora Musical de Cuba In many types of ethnic and popular Cu b a n music (and in many styles of African and Latin American music) the melodic lines ve ry often do not have accents on the downbeat of the bar and the rhythm is syncopated. Many singers have a tendency to accent the middle of syncopated notes that c ross bar lines.

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Very complex meters – as in Indian music – can be easily read and practiced. He re is one constructed example:

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You will have to practice not making the music sound syncopated - have the singers sing the line as if the beat on “2_and” was a downbeat (a 1). For the sake of rehearsing I h a ve written an alternative bass-line to Sóngoro Cosongo:

Many Latin styles have important rhythmic accents and displacements that you have to spend much time listening to in order to be able to teach your own singers.

Odd Meters I will introduce a method of training the odd meters characteristic of cultures that are often re f e r red to as “non-western” in the Balkan region for instance. The method is d e r i ved or inspired by a musician from In d i a that I heard practice the complex meters of his home country with specific phonetics for each rhythmic pattern or unit of the meter: Eve ry beat of the measure is subdivided into small units of 2 or 3 – 7/8 can be 2+2+3 or 3+2+2. The small unit of 2 is pronounced “Taki” (2 syllables) and the unit of 3 is p ronounced “Ga m e l a” (3 syllables). When practicing you have to make sure that the pace of each syllable is completely even.

Di f f e rent meters from the Balkan region will become: 7/8: Taki – Taki – Gamela or Gamela – Taki – Taki 9/8: Taki – Taki – Taki – Ga m e l a 11/8: Taki – Taki – Gamela – Taki – Taki

And the basic calypso could be: Gamela – Gamela – Taki

Now you can have your choir sing this part of the arrangement with the new bass-line

After practicing a while until the steady pace of each syllable is internalized – the choir should sound as one person – you can skip some of the syllables and just use the first letter of each. Ex a m p l e s :

|| T T G G T ||: G T T :|| G G T T T G G || It is important to focus on the internalization of the music, the rhythm, the meter – the goal is to make the exe rcises part of a vo c a b u l a ry or a toolbox that can be called upon instantly and spontaneously.

The Conductor’s Pedagogical Role Concerning improvisation: Once you let go and allow your singers to improvise and act as co-arrangers there might be no point of return – they might actually enjoy it and become very good at it. And there is a chance that what they come up with on the spur of the moment will be much better than what you have pre p a red in advance – no matter h ow much you yourself have practiced.

Your role is double – you have to be a coach and at the same not interf e re in a fruitful p rocess. The choir director’s focus may no longer be a matter of finding finished quality l i t e r a t u re, arrangements or compositions based on folk-songs or folklore styles, but rather in analyzing the characteristics of a certain singing style, harmony, rhythm, s o u n d / t i m b re, voice-leading etc. etc. and handing this over to the choir in a general form that can be used again and again on a number of different songs.

ICB Dossier

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Concerning rhythm and meters: It is ve ry important that singers know the smallest detail of a rhythmic style and can re p roduce d i f f e rent styles and meters as easily as b reathing. In my experience there is nothing you as a conductor can do with your gestures or facial expression (!?) to “s a ve” a performance if the singers do not “have it” (the gro ove). When dealing with music that originates in dance music you might end up spending more time dancing at re h e a r s a l s than singing... En j oy !

•

Niels Gr æ s h o l m is associate professor at the Ca rl Nielsen Academy of Music, Od e n s e , De n m a rk, and teaches choral conducting at the Un i versity of Copenhagen. He is music school consultant for the Danish Arts Agency under the Danish Ministry of Cu l t u re and is curre n t l y conducting two choirs: the vocal gro u p KOLORIT, which has specialized in Latin American choral music of all kinds; and Usmifka, a women’s choir that has specialized in perf o rming Bulgarian choral music in the style of Le Mystére des Voix Bu l g a res.

(Email: graesholm@dfm.dk)

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Dossier

Israeli Choral Music Inherent Traditional Elements Maya Shavit

Israel's uniqueness can be defined by the fantastic versatility of its cultural we a l t h , including its choral music. Many different ethnic traditions live side by side, maintaining their distinct ancestral heritage t h rough food, costumes, dances, songs, rhythms and synagogue practice.

Pre s e rvation of these traditions is not easy, g i ven that the "melting-pot" effect, the trend t ow a rd melding eve rything together, always b l ows at the back of those who strive to keep each distinctive tradition alive. In this brief a rticle, I present some of those distinct traditions as well as explain a few other unique influences on Israeli choral music.

Distinct Traditions

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Chanting the He b rew Bi b l e Chanting the text of the He b rew Bible is among the earliest of Israeli vocal forms.

Learning about this particular Jewish tradition invo l ves understanding the ‘Te’amim,’ the special signs below or above the accented syllables, called also ‘ekphonetic signs’: "The ‘Te’amim are articulation signs deve l o p e d by scholars in Tiberias during the 8th and 9th centuries. The function of the accents is to identify the stru c t u re of a sentence. This notation system has no parallel in any other language in the world. Ekphonetic signs are not musical notation. There is nothing graphically in the signs that hints at melodic motion. The a rt of chanting the biblical texts is a folk art , accessible to eve ryone. Melody is the humble servant of the sacred text. Today there are great d i f f e rences between the various modes of chanting, practiced by the different traditions."

(1).

Israeli multiculturalism is readily observed while walking on a Sabbath morning in the s t reets of old Je rusalem. In addition to the u n b e l i e vable variety of Christian traditions,

one would also hear the different synagogue chanting traditions: Yemenite, Se p h a rd i c , Mo roccan, Ashkenazi, Iraqi, Lebanese, Reform and Ort h o d ox. The prayer "Adon Olam," sung eve ry day in eve ry synagogue around the world including those in Je rusalem, exemplifies both the unity and the d i versity of the synagogue chants. The exact same words are used in each of the a b ovementioned synagogues yet the tune and its musical style are distinctive to each community's tradition.

Preservation of each of these ancient biblical chant traditions continues while, at the same time, each tradition also influences va r i o u s aspects of contemporary Israeli cultural life.

Orchestras, choirs, dance groups, composers and poets include these traditional elements into their artistic works. Some of this occurs subconsciously, whereas some is a result of serious re s e a rch into the heart of a tradition, d i s c overing core elements of that tradition and using them as bricks and cement for sophisticated contemporary creations. For example, "Ha m a vdil" composed by O. Partos, is based on a traditional chant for Ha vdalah, sung at the end of eve ry Sa b b a t h to distinguish the sacred day from the we e k l y working days. It is not an arrangement but a unique work of art influenced by traditional elements.

Immigration to Is r a e l A second influence on Israeli choral music is that of immigration. During the past 50 years, Jews from all over the world have come to Israel to live. The relationship with and influence of their homeland culture on Israeli choral music is a fascinating study. In most Eastern and Middle-Eastern countries there is not much difference between the Jewish music and the local artistic music. On the other hand, in Eastern Europe there is a

Photo: Maya Shavit

Music Director, Efroni Girls’ Choir

typical Jewish music distinct from the secular art music, for example, the Klezmer ensembles that developed through separation f rom the neighboring community. Eastern Eu ropean countries like Poland, Hungary, former Cze c h o s l ovakia, and Lithuania had ve ry large Jewish communities with rich indigenous culture. Many of their songs we re sung in Yiddish, the common language of the Jewish people in that part of the world. No rth-African countries like Mo rocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya have also had strong impact on Israeli culture , partly because immigration from these countries occurred in vast numbers. The influx of Middle-Eastern cultures has also been felt. A large community ofGe o r g i a n s arrived in the 1970's, and a particularly large cultural influence has been that of the Yemenites from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. This close-knit community holds fast to their own food, accents and liturgy. From these Yemeni immigrants came great musicians and artists like Sara Levi-Tanai who created the famous Inbal dance theatre and Ovadya Tuvia who helped her with the pre s e rvation of the Yemeni culture. The Yemenite tunes are full of melismatic, ornamented melodies, with clear indication to the Islamic influence:

The Two Traditional Ci rcles In the life of eve ry Israeli tradition, two "circles" existing side by side, the Circle of the Year and the Circle of Life. The sacre d C i rcle of the Year, based on the cycle of the calendar, includes both liturgical and extra-liturgical prayers, songs and chants that occur in daily, we e k l y, monthly, and annual synagogue services, including Sabbaths and s a c red holidays. The complimentary Circ l e

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of Life reflects a person's life journey: birth, Ba r - Mi t z vah, marriage, and death, including both sacred and secular components. One i n t e resting observation about the Circles is that in most of the Eastern traditions, the secular texts are sung by the women whereas the men sing the sacred chants. Yemen, again, is a good example. He b rew was the s a c red language, spoken only by the men, w h e reas the women talked and sang in a special dialect of Arabic.

The sacred liturgical chanting of the Yemenites is a unique musical example of the C i rcle of the Year. They chant in heterophony, mostly in parallel lines at the interval of a 4th or 5th, sometimes 2nd. The Henna Ceremony of a Yemeni bride serves as an example of music as it is connected to the C i rcle of Life. The Henna Ceremony occurs two days before a Yemeni we d d i n g .

Accompanied by singing and dancing, female friends of the bride cover her hands and forehead with a red paste derived fro m the henna bush. Many such 'life' rituals invo l ve song and singing.

The final example is a Mo roccan paraphrase of a verse from the "Song of Songs."

The Augmented Se c o n d One specific element inherent in many of the various Israeli vocal music traditions is the melodic use of the augmented second interval. The first example is an exc e r p t f rom a Yiddish lullaby, "Sh l o f, Mayn Tokhter." The Ladino is an old Sp a n i s h , p re s e rved by the Jewish people who we re expelled from Spain in 1492.

Georgian composer Re u ven Kazhilotti arranged the same tune in a ve ry different way. The melody is the same but here it is f reed from the strong feeling of the basic 5/8 that defines the original tune. It also uses modern vo c a l - e x p ressions, such as a tre m o l o a c h i e ved by fast movements of the hand over the mouth, a breaking of the words into single syllables for different parts, the close harmonies etc.

Authenticity vs. Freedom One concern for Israeli choral music, common to ethnic music eve ry w h e re, is the p roblem of whether a traditional tune should always be treated in the most authentic a p p roach or whether elements of it can be used in an original contemporary composition without losing the core of the tradition. I present two different arrangements of the Georgian piece "Ad o n Olam." The first is by Pe retz Eliyahu, a composer and ethnomusicologist, who comes from Dagestan. His arrangement of is based on a simple harmony, letting the 5/8 meter of the prayer play the main role.

The second example is a Ladino blessing that would be sung over a meal: Clearly, musical influences of both east and west exist in Israeli choral music. One hopes that the influence of one tradition on

another leads to a deeper and richer national choral repert o i re. Hopefully also, the preservation of our varied and distinct traditions can exist alongside the d e velopment of new Israeli choral music, one enhancing the other. We look to the grow t h of the new from the traditional so that a bridge may be built between one's heritage and the new musical scene opening up before us.

•

(1) Yehezkiel Braun, Is raeli choral composer, lecture at Keele University, May 1999 (Text edited by Marian Dolan) B o rn on kibbutz Ma a ' b a rot, Maya Sh a v i t studied at The Music Teachers College in Tel-Aviv and is a graduate of the Musicology De p a rtment of Tel-Aviv University. In Is rael she studied conducting under Ma e s t ro Ga ry Be rtini and with Ma e s t ro John Alldis at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Ma y a Shavit is one of the most active members on the Israeli vocal music scene today. She is Music Director for the girls choir Ef roni. In recent years she has focused greatly on p romoting the commissioning of new works for children’s choirs throughout the country and abroad as well as for the "Ef ro n i”. This pro j e c t has raised the interest in children’s choirs in Israel and as a result many choirs have re a c h e d i n t e rnational level. For many years Ma y a taught choral conducting and methodic of work with childre n’s choirs at Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and the Levinski college for Music Education. Today Maya Shavit is the head of “Ha l l e l”, the Israeli Choral Organization and is active in promoting the cause of singing in schools. (Email: maya@efroni.org)

Dossier

Choral Singing in South Africa A Nation of Many Cultures Anne Marie van der Walt

The story of South African music is one of dialogue with imported forms, and varying d e g rees of hybridization over the years. This paper explains how diverse historical and cultural influences have intertwined the multiple re s o u rces of South Africa and c reated a unique musical identity in the country.

The historical background is a convergence of two major factors, the first being the s u c c e s s i vemigration of populations. Indeed, one of the first ethnic groups to be found in South Africa we re the San and KhoiKhoi and as early as 700 AD, people who we re the d i rect ancestors of the Zulu, Xhosa, Sw a z i and Ndebele, Sotho, Venda and Tsonga we re already living in South Africa, having gradually moved over the years from No rth Africa to the South. Another influential m ovement of population is the emigration of Europeans who came to South Africa and b rought Western Music. These people we re mainly the Portuguese, the Dutch, imported s l a ves, the French Huguenots, and the British settlers. As a consequence of the f o regoing, the present ethnic setting shows a complex composition of a multitude of ethnic groups. The eleven official languages a re Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, Se p e d i , Sesotho, Si Swati, Xitsonga, Se t s w a n a , Tshivenda, IsiXhosa and Is i Zulu distributed in the three racial components of the population. An approximate estimation can be that 75 % of South Africa’s 49 million people are black, 15% are of Eu ro p e a n descent, and the rest consists of Greeks, Cape Malays, Indians and Colored.

The second historical landmark is the social changes resulting from the introduction of

foreign religious, economic, and political system. Without a doubt, the penetration of Christian missionaries into the interior of the country over the centuries had a p rofound influence on South African musical styles. The later influence of American spirituals is also to be mentioned as it spurred a gospel movement that is still very strong in the country today. The economic consequences of the discove ry of gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886 generated massive internal population shifts.

Hu n d reds of workers from all the different tribes went to Gauteng to work in the mines and secondary industries and came in contact with each other. This caused differing regional traditional folk musics to flow into one another. Fu rt h e r m o re, the politically troubled period known as the Apartheid Era also had a profound influence on the musical expression in the country as it generated many liberation songs.

The cultural background in traditional South Africa as in Africa at large incorporates artistic expression and social life in an a p p roach that breaks away from the Western aesthetic canon. Traditional music making in Africa always is spontaneous and music is integrated into eve ry aspect of life. He n c e , singing is an integral part of life in Africa. As inseparable aspects of the performing arts, Music and dancing permeate eve ry social activity from youth to old age and songs are learned through informal processes. As a consequence of this informal process, music learning begins at the earliest age and considerable improvisation takes place.

The performance practices and re p e rt o i reare also ve ry distinctive. Songs are often composed on the spur of the moment, usually about things that happen in eve ry day life, and ululating and vibrato are commonly used. Despite the appare n t

informality in the musical expression, several technical and theoretical characteristics exist that define the aesthetic and theoretical framew o rk. In performing African songs one must always strive for the right style and the so-called African “feel.” Care must be taken to perform the movements correctly and to render the pronunciation accurately. The instruments also play a prominent role as drums and other rhythmic instruments are often used. The tonic solfa system is used f requently to notate the music. With the years, choral singing has become the culturally most pursued activity in So u t h Africa. Unfortunately, while many festiva l s and competitions are held each year reinforced by the occurrence of three Musical International Wo rkshops, choral music publications are still ve ry rare.

Choral music is one of the dynamic forces in South African music. Its unique expre s s i o n combines the various historical and influences with the traditional inherent musicality of the peoples and in this way bridges are being built between the peoples of the rainbow nation.

•

Ex Africa quod semper novum – : Out of Africa there always comes something new!

Photo: A. M. van der Walt

Vice-President of the South African Choral Society

(Text edited by Adolphe Yacé) Anne Marie van der Walt has been a choir conductor of secondary school choirs. She was nominated for the Tirisano teaching award, Excellence in Teaching, in 2001. She is a Board member of IFCM - the first South African to be elected to this Board. She is the Vi c e - President of the South African Choral Society and the Chairperson of Musica International in Southern Africa. She is also the Editor of the Cantando Gaudeamus, the newsletter of the South African Choral Society.

(Email: sachoral@xsinet.co.za)

ICB Dossier

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IFCM News

International Federation for Choral Music

IFCM In Brief: Extracts from the IFCM Monthly Newsletters to the Board Jean-Claude Wilkens

7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto, Japan Northern Lights: The World Youth Choir - European Winter Session 2003/2004 J e a n - M a rc Poncelet

The Voices of our Planet: 13th International Choir Singing Day Zenaida Vasquez

In Brief Extracts from the IFCM Monthly Newsletters to the Board Jean-Claude Wilkens IFCM Secretary General

World Youth Choir 2004 The winter session of the W YC took place in Namur under the baton of Grete He l g e r ø d Pedersen, with tremendous success and a first time ever performance in Brussels. It was ve ry well attended and opened interesting contacts for the future.

The summer session 2004 will take place in Ko rea, thanks to the cooperation of Mme Dho and her staff at the Ko rean Choral Institute. Auditions are in pro g ress. For information, please contact the International C e n t re for Choral Music at iccm@skynet.be.

Details re g a rding the W YC summer session: Date of arrival: July 26th at Gi m h a e International Airport. Date of depart u re : August 18th Incheon International Airport.

Concert tour: Busan - Osaka (to be confirmed) - Daegu - Daejeon - Se o u l .

Rehearsal camp: Busan Mechanical Technical High School Do r m i t o ry, Busan City.

The W YC committee, in agreement with the IFCM Exe c u t i veCommittee, has decided to o r g a n i zethe Eu ropean winter sessions alternating between Na m u r, Belgium, and Vi g e vano, Italy. Eve ry year concerts will take place in Namur and other cities in Be l g i u m and European countries.

forum would be greatly appreciated. A dedicatedwe b s i t e www.musicworldforum.org is being developed by the Tagger foundation that will a l l ow you to send your suggestions and to monitor the planning pro g re s s .

The European Union Grants The Eu ropean Music Council was successful in its application to Eu ropean funds for its p roject "Cooperation in the Field of Music Education in Europe". In addition, Jeunesses Musicales International was granted one of only two projects accepted in the "Cu l t u re 2000" program for the year 2004. Their p roject will concentrate on "Young Musician Ne t w o rking". Congratulations to both organizations.

Code of Ethics Very soon the IFCM will release its Code of Ethics that has been written jointly with the Tagger Foundation. A code of ethics for companies is a new concept that is ve ry necessary in this globalized world. It will p rovide a guideline to Federation members, officers and staff on what a company can do to comply with ethics and morality.

Quality Chart e r Tagger Foundation in Vi g e v a n o The Foundation is in full operation now with four persons on the staff. On the agenda: the preparation of the Vi g e va n o Music festival that will take place during the 2nd week of September 2004. Program and format will be communicated to the press in Ap r i l / May 2004

International Music Council The IMC is planning for the organization of a Music World Forum during the 2005 General Assembly in Los Angeles (Oc t o b e r 1-5). Your input in the planning of this

In parallel to the Code of Ethics, the IFCM has designed a Charter of Qu a l i t y. This text has also been revised and adopted by the In t e r n a t i o n a l Choral Ne t w o rk. The Charter pertains to all the organizers of festivals, competitions, and other choral activities. The text describes the re q u i rements that such activities should prov i d e in order to be considered as a quality organization from an IFCM point of view. The

objective of such a text is to provide advice and assistance to organizations that will i m p rove the quality of their re s p e c t i vemarket. The Charter does not have the objective of labelling an organization nor is it considered as a re q u i rement for membership in IFCM. Howe ver, it does allow organizations to claim in their material that they subscribe to the Charter.

The text will be released ve ry soon after a final proof reading through our ICB. And it will be mailed to all organizations known to the IFCM.

World Symposium 7 - Kyoto 2005 The Symposium Artistic Committee held its t h i rd meeting in January, and the program is n ow nearly complete. The list of lecture r s , themes, and invited choirs will soon be released by the organizers, but only after a p p roval by the Symposium Exe c u t i ve Committee and confirmation from the choirs. The application campaign went ve ry well. The Symposium will feature choirs f rom all parts of the world in a ve ry attractive p rogram. The second announcement b ro c h u re, with all details and a registration form, will be available before summer 2004.

Also, a website will soon be re l e a s e d .

The Executive Committe of WS7

ICB IFCM New s

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IFCM News ...In Brief

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Asia Pacific Choral Summit The Asia Pacific Choral Summit will take place in Busan on May 22nd, 2004. The objective of this one day meeting is to re v i ew the history of international choral projects in the region, plan for the organization of f u t u re events, and establish a stru c t u re that will facilitate cooperation between countries in this area of the world. In addition, plans for a major event in the near future will be p resented to delegates.

The Asia Pacific Choral summit is organized by the Asia Pacific Regional Se c retariat of the IFCM (APRS), which is a part of the Ko re a n Choral Institute (KCI), along with the help of the City of Busan and the Ko re a n Mi n i s t ry of Cu l t u re. For more information: jcwilkens@ifcm.net

format will be the responsibility of the IFCM.

Andino Youth Choir The new format of this project includes a p rogram called "Los Andes Cantan". Ma n y w o rkshops for singers and conductors will be o r g a n i zed in Bolivia, Ec u a d o r, Colombia and Venezuela. Local festivals with local singers will replace the expensive tour of the Andino Youth Choir. The local committees will chose 20 singers from each country to join the Andino Youth Choir for a session in Caracas. Local festivals will take place in Caracas (June 3), Quito, Ecuador (Au g u s t 5), Lima, Peru (August 19), Santa Cruz, Bolivia (October 14), and in BogotĂĄ, Colombia (November 18).

F rom the ICCM in Namur Busan Choral Festival - 2005 The IFCM will organize a choir festival in Busan immediately after the 2005 World Symposium in Kyo t o. The logistical organization and finances will be the responsibility of the Asia Pacific Re g i o n a l Se c retariat, while the artistic content and format will be under the jurisdiction of the IFCM. The idea is to offer Sy m p o s i u m choirs the opportunity to extend their stay in Asia. And for those choirs that applied to perform in Kyoto and we re not accepted, Busan offers the wonderful opportunity to be invo l ved in a festival of unusual significance.

Asia Cantat 2006 The IFCM will organize an "Asia Cantat" festival in Busan in the summer of 2006. The dates will be carefully chosen to avo i d conflict with the Eu ropa Cantat festival. The logistical organization and finances will be the responsibility of the Asia Pacific Re g i o n a l Se c retariat, while the artistic content and

IFCM's center in Namur held its general assembly on January 31st. The year 2003 finishes with a small financial surplus. The contracts between the Center, the Prov i n c e , the City and the Government should soon be re n ewed for another 5 years, along with a substantial budget incre a s e .

Songbridge The International Center for Choral Mu s i c in Namur will assume the management of Songbridge, a non-competitive forum for international cooperation between childre n ' s and youth choirs and contemporary composers. Erkki Pohjola, Songbridge founder, and Je a n - Ma rc Poncelet, ICCM Exe c u t i ve Di re c t o r, met mid-Febru a ry to establish a framew o rk for the development of this project. The artistic matters and general philosophy of Songbridge will be re v i ewed on a regular basis, and in the spirit of Pro f.

Erkki Pohjola's original inspiration, by an artistic committee of 5 specially intere s t e d experts. For more information: iccm@skynet.be

IFCM in the Middle East M. Fakhouri, president of the International Music Council, has agreed to help organize a round- table of choral conductors from the Middle East in Jo rdan. An application for funds has been submitted to UNESCO/IMC for this activity which should take place early 2005.

It is IFCMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intention to include non-Arabic countries from the region in this round-table, such as Tu rkey and Is r a e l .

F rom Africa Many activities are taking place or are being planned in Africa. The Republic of So u t h Africa is celebrating 10 years of freedom and a cultural conference will happen in September 2004. The Choral News magazine has been published 6 times and distributed throughout the continent. An observa t o ry of Cultural Policies in Africa has been established in Ma p u t o. The website is ve ry active. See: www.imo.hr/ocpa Fu t u re projects include an application for a Regional Symposium in 2007 and a technical workshop for choral conductors in Kinshasa with the assistance of the Centre Wallonie Bru xelles, and in cooperation with the ICCM.

Honors Congratulations to IFCM Board Member Diana Leland, recipient of the F. Me l i u s Christiansen Lifetime Ac h i e vement Aw a rd g i ven by the American Choral Di re c t o r s Association (ACDA) of Minnesota. She has also been awarded with the 2004 Arts Ad vocacy Leadership Arts Coordinator Aw a rd from the Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Ed u c a t i o n . (http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/edinahigh/) Helmuth Rilling has been awarded the Ot t o Hirsch Memorial Medal for his lifelong

efforts in support of Ge r m a n - Jewish f r i e n d s h i p. The IFCM offers him his congratulations.

Good Luck, Nadine!

Nadine Robin has taken a one year leave of absence from her job with the IFCM. She is m oving to Texas, USA for a year of study and the building of a new private life. Go o d luck, Nadine, and thank you for your commitment to the IFCM during these past years.

Nadine Robin

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A d d ress changes

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Please note the new email address of IFCM Vice-President M. Suwaki: y-s-mitsukazu@orion.ocn.ne.jp and the one of Saeko Hasegawa: lsot@saturn.dti.ne.jp Michael Shani has a new addre s s : 23 Tagor St. - Tel Aviv 69203 - Israel Telefax: ++972-3-6427700 Mobile: ++972-55-988896 Email: shanimic@netvision.net.il

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The International Federation for Choral Music invites you to the

7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto, Japan July 27 - August 3, 2005

Cantus populi, cantus mundi. Cantus omnibus unus.

The songs of the people, the songs of the world. One song unto all.

Kyoto in 2005!!

Kyoto is special. Every guidebook will tell you that. The new-yet-old city holds the seat of the imperial past Emperor Kanmu (Heian period) brought his court to Kyoto in 794. And so, Kyoto also continues to be at the centre of the Japanese cultural traditions that resulted from her 1000 years as the old capital of Japan - temples, gardens, cuisine, kimono, traditional handicrafts, and so on.

What better place to host the 2005 World Symposium on Choral Music, than a city steeped in so much culture?

Where her citizens would look after every detail of your stay with as much care as they would prepare kaiseki, a formal cuisine that nourishes all five senses?

Many of the things that we would associate with Japanese culture and tradition have their origin in Kyoto.

The tea ceremony, the solemn noh theatre and ikebana (the art of flower arranging) evolved in the tearooms of the art-loving shogun Ashikaga. The lavish entertainment world of the geisha and kabuki (both reaching their artistic height in Kyoto) influenced the extraordinary level of craftsmanship still seen today - in handcrafted elaborate kimono fabrics, hair-combs, folding fans and washi (handmade paper).

Travellers to Kyoto will be enchanted, as I was, by the buildings of wood, stone and tile that line cobblestoned streets less than 500 m away from the concrete high-rise buildings that come with all modern cities. Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines hide behind wooden gateways along what seems like an urban pedestrian mall, offering help or talismans for good luck.

The position of the ancient capital as the centre of Buddhism in Japan - 13 of Kyoto’s Buddhist temples are designated as World Heritage sites by the United Nations has also given rise to numerous tofu restaurants, eateries specializing in countless ways of preparing tofu and other soy products (vital protein in the Buddhist vegetarian diet)!

Food (something close to all our hearts!) would surely be one of the main attractions, luring conductors and choristers to the city. Nine days would not be enough to sample everything and then return for seconds. Kyoto was the

birthplace of kaiseki - 7 to 12 haute cuisine courses prepared differently, using seasonal ingredients with seasonal decorations (wafers that look like cherry blossoms in spring), each presented as if a gift to the senses.

Wonderfully overwhelming at times.

And of course, not forgetting those tofu dishes, and all the other more familiar exports - sushi and sashimi, tempura, shabu-shabu, nabe (‘one-pot cooking’), ramen and soba.

These taste much better in Japan, and more so in Kyoto, where the quality of ingredients is allowed to speak through a wash of sauce. Apart from the gestalt (and the right context!), everything is much fresher. To drink, there is sake (warm or cold), beer and of course, green tea. And then there are the Japanese confectionery shops (sweets to complement your cup of green tea perhaps?). Nama gashi in a variety of colours and shapes and names with the sounds of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

To sample the sights and smells of the city, stroll through the gardens of the Imperial Palace Park - and notice how each element has its place - to Teramachi-dori, once a temple district and now a street of antiques, woodblock prints, fans, kimonos, combs, folk art, handmade paper, and green tea. Peep into the temples, pick up some green tea, enjoy the subtle detail in handcrafted tea bowls. Visit Nishiki Kyoto’s oldest market street - and breathe in the aroma of freshly roasted tea, ovens steaming with hot bean cakes, skewered fish and other seafood dripping with soya sauce over charcoal fires. Take in the impeccable arrangements of fruit - apples, persimmon, green leafy vegetables, seafood - shrimp and freshwater fish, the ubiquitous tofu (fast-food style!), a variety of pickles rivaling that of tofu, the flasks of sake, bundles of fresh flowers - everything a colourful jumble, a stimulating assault.

For the full experience, stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). Raid the closet full of thickly quilted futon beddings, and sleep on the tatami floor. But only after you have taken your bath in the o-furo. I cannot think of a better way to end each day at the Kyoto Symposium than to let the rigors of the day melt away, and the music of the choral world seep in, as you soak in the traditional Japanese baths.

Jennifer Tham, Singapore WSCM7 Artistic Committee Artistic Director, Young Musicians’ Society Music Director, Singapore Youth Choir

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s start learning Japanese language No.2

As introduced in the previous issue, modern Japanese consists of three kinds of moji (characters): the ideographic Chinese characters known as kanji and the phonetic characters known as hiragana and katakana. Although hiragana and katakana are both phonetic characters, their roles in writing are totally different. Katakana is mainly used for foreign words (sometimes to express pronunciations of foreign words), and hiragana for conjugating verbs and adjectives (so-called declensional kana endings) as well as parts of auxiliary verbs, postpositional particles and adverbs. Japanese first learn hiragana at primary school.

Nowadays, most Japanese children can read and write hiragana before entering elementary school. Hiragana is also used to add words to musical scores as children are more accustomed to reading Hiragana (see the above example).

Mineichi Kamino

Modern Japanese is generally considered to have only 111 syllables, whereas English has innumerable syllables and Korean, which belongs to the same language family as Japanese, has about 2,500. As a result, Japanese contains many homonyms. For example, a typical Japanese dictionary will list nearly thirty homonyms for shiki, the Japanese equivalent of â&#x20AC;&#x153;conductâ&#x20AC;?. They are differentiated by different Chinese characters and have different meanings. Thus, even in daily conversation, we use shiki with many different meanings such as four seasons, ceremony, morale, color and so on. Such homonyms are often used to make puns in daily conversation, and also to make jokes and wordplays in traditional vaudeville performances such as rakugo (comic storytelling) and manzai (comic dialogue) as well as in the Japanese literature including waka (Japanese classical poem).

Where should I go?

Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Pavilion) The temple is formally called Jishoji and stands at the northeast end of the city. It was originally built in 1482 by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, 8th shogun of Muromachi period (1331-1573), as a country villa, but it was converted to temple upon his death. The pavilion (a National Treasure) stands two stories high and has never actually been covered with silver, as the name would indicate. Togudo (a National Treasure), next to the Silver Pavilion, contains an effigy of Yoshimasa in the garb of a priest. In the northeast corner of the same building is a tiny tearoom of only four and a half tatami mats, and is said to be the oldest tearoom in Japan. A corridor leads from here to two rooms called Roseitei, which are reproductions of the rooms used by Yoshimasa for incense-burning parties. The garden, attributed to the landscape artist and painter Soami (d. 1525), is one of the most attractive in Kyoto.

Photo courtesy of the Kyoto Convention Bureau

7th World Symposium on Choral Music c/o Japan Choral Association, Yaginuma bldg. 6F, 1-5-8 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013, Japan E-mail: ws7@jcanet.or.jp Fax: +81-3-5421-7151 www.jcanet.or.jp/wscm Advance registration of your name and address on the website (www.jcanet.or.jp/wscm/) will entitle you to receive the 2nd announcement scheduled for distribution in August 2004.

IFCM News

Northern Lights The World Youth Choir — European Winter Session 2003/2004 Jean-Marc Poncelet Executive Director of the ICCM and Manager of the World Youth Choir

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Scandinavia is often perc e i ved as a choral music paradise. Composers, conductors and h i g h - l e vel choirs all rub shoulders, making this one of the most important centres of c reativity in the world. The members of the World Youth Choir we re there f o re privileged to discover an exc l u s i vely No rdic repert o i re under the direction of Norwegian Gre t e Pedersen at the choir’s Eu ropean winter session.

The classically stru c t u red first part of the p rogram included several re m a rkable contemporary No rdic works, including - O Crux by Knut Nystedt (1978), Corpus Christi Ca ro l by Trond Kverno (1985), A New Heaven and A New Ea rth by Sven Da v i d Sandström (1982), and Sonette 72 by Alfre d Janson (2000). Another discove ry was the most interesting Unicornis Captivatur by the young No rwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, p roof (if proof we re needed) that gifted souls can make valuable contributions at a tender age.

The second part of the program, dedicated to popular Norwegian music, enabled the

The World Youth Choir, Winter Session 2003-2004

World Youth Choir to live an original and e xciting experience. With the participation of two No rwegians specialized in this re p e rt o i re — singer Unni Lovlid and p e rcussionist Terje Isungset — the thirtynine choristers went on a search for “Dam”, a unique concept embodying the colour, harmony, interpretation, and even the ve ry soul of this music transmitted orally from generation to generation.

From the outset, Grete Pedersen infused the choir with a spirit of unity and an unfaltering sense of cohesion put to the service of the music. Her simple, precise conducting worked marvels in both types of re p e rt o i re, resulting at concerts in a rare l y seen complicity between director and choir.

Making full use of the available concert space, the choir sang at times on stage, but also in the hall and even positioned among the public. This arrangement re q u i res that the singers be confident in themselves and in their score, but creates an extraord i n a ry and m o s t - a p p reciated rapport with the audience.

Eighteen countries we re re p resented at this sixth Eu ropean winter session in 2003/2004 at which a total of seven concerts we re p resented in Belgium and France. This tour

once again proved that the Eu ropean winter session has become a start - o f - year event not to be missed in the Belgian musical calendar.

Also ve ry significant was the first concert o r g a n i zed in Brussels by Jeunesses Musicales International in one of the Eu ropean capital’s best halls.

The session began on December 26 and came to a close on January 12 in Na m u r. All the participants returned home the richer for this unparalleled musical and human experience that is the World Youth Choir.

The next edition of the World Youth Choir will be held this summer in geographically contrasted South Ko rea. After meeting in Busan to rehearse, the choir will perform in the country’s main cities and make a short trip to Japan to give two concerts in Os a k a and Kyoto.

•

(Transl: David Scott-Lytle, Canada) (Email: jmponcelet@ifcm.net)

The Voices of our Planet 13th International Choral Singing Day Zenaida Vasquez Coordinator

A concert of Día Internacional delCanto Coral, Teatro Teresa Carreño.

Sunday 14 December 2003

On this new occasion for celebrating the world meeting of choirs singing for peace and the reconciliation of mankind with the e n v i ronment, the shining voices of the u n n u m b e redchoirs of our planet re-created the happy festive atmosphere of each De c e m b e r.

The enormous population of singers p rotecting our planet are waking up and in e ve ry International Choral Singing Day the f resh human voices which one day decided to f r a t e r n i zethrough singing are shining ever m o re brightly. We wish to insist on the enormous participation by all the choral organizations and groups across the world which made this day what we really wished it to be. We are getting there, but the road is long and we need your support. Please join us in our day of solidarity on 12 De c e m b e r 2 0 0 4.

This is the time to thank all the friends who made this new day of choral solidarity possible. Year after year it draws in more and m o re people who love choral singing and are convinced of its importance in the d e velopment of human behaviour in the activity of the world. These are some of our friends:

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GERMANY: Schola Musica Ahrenensis (55 singers and 35 children) ARGENTINA: C o ro UDAP Caucete ( San Juan- 30 singers); CORO VILLICUM de la Municipalidad de San Juan (San Juan – 30 singers); C o ro Arquidiocesano (San Juan – 35 singers); C o ro Bu e n a ventura Luna Centro de Jubilados y Pensionados (San Juan – 30 singers); C o ro de la Asociación de Ma e s t ros Sarmiento (San Juan – 40 singers); C o ro de Cámara de la Agrupación Coral Sa n j u a n i n a ( SanJuan – 25 singers); C o ro de Children de la Universidad Nacional de San Juan (San Juan – 40 singers); C o ro de Cámara Art u ro Be ruti ( San Juan – 25 singers); C o ro de la Universidad Católica del Cuyo ( San Juan – 40 singers); Coral Canto Nuevo (San Juan – 30 singers); C o ro Ausonia (San Juan – 30 singers); C o ro Cruz del Sur (San Juan – 25 singers); C o ro Un i versitario ( San Juan – 40 singers); Camerata del Sol (San Juan – 30 singers); C o ro de la Casa Natal de Sarmiento ( San Juan – 25 singers); C o ro PreUniversitario (San Juan - 30 singers); C o ro Vocacional (San Juan – 30 singers); Coral del Sol (San Juan – 25 singers); C o ro del Colegio Angel María Boisdrón (Tucumán – 45 singers); C o ro Municipal de Children (Tucumán – 45 singers); Grupo Coral Tempo (Tucumán – 25 singers); C o ro de Cámara Tucumán (Tucumán – 25 singers) ; C o ro de Children de la Se c retaría de Educación (Tucumán – 30 singers); Coral Edet (Tucumán – 30 singers);

C o ro de Jóvenes de la Se c retaría de Educación (Tucumán – 25 singers); C o ro Nicolás Avellaneda (Tucumán – 30 singers); C o ro Municipal de Jóvenes (Tucumán – 40 singers); C o ro del Círculo Sa rdo (Tucumán – 25 singers); C o ro Mixto de la Se c retaría de Ed u c a c i ó n (Tucumán – 25 singers); C o ro Vocacional (Tucumán – 30 singers); Certamen Nacional de Coros de Tre l ew ( Chubut – 2.000 singers); C o ro Universitario de La Plata ( La Plata – 50 singers); AAMCANT ( Tucumán y La Plata – 10.000 singers); In t e rcoral Platense ( La Plata – 25 singers); ITALY: Corale Polifonico Homo Musicus (35 singers); C o ro Dei Licei “ Ma u rolico E Se g u e n z a” (Messina – 25 choristers); C o ro Polifónico “Ou ve rt u re” (BarcellonaPo z zo diGotto – 25 singers); C o ro .A. Seghizzi (Gorizia – 35 singers); Corale Maria SS. Del Rosario di Za f f e r a n a Etnea (Catania – 20 singers); Ars Musica di Gi ovanni Gemini (Agrigento – 20 singers); Don Raffaele Lagadari (Rombiolo – 20 singers); Cantate Domino ( Regio Calabria – 25 singers) ; Soul Singers ( Nunziata – 15 singers); Santa Cecilia Di Agrigento ( Agrigento – 25 singers); Jacob Arcadelt ( Porto Empedocle – 25 singers); Don Guanella ( Agrigento – 30 singers); Antonio Vi valdi (Casteltermini – 30 singers); Singers Dei ( Agrigento – 30 singers); Asociación Corali Provinciali e Re g i o n a l i (4.000 singers)

ICB IFCM New s

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UNITED STATES: Seattle Pro Musica ( Seattle – 40 singers); A r i zona State University School of Music (Tempe, AZ – 30 singers); Choral Union ( Tempe, AZ – 200 singers) MEXICO: Voce in Te m p o re (Te p o zotlán – 25 singers); C h i l d ren Singers de la Escuela Nacional de Música ( Te p o zotlán – 25 singers) CUBA: Coral Juan Pablo II (Havana – 30 singers) ; Schola Cantorum Coralina (Ha vana – 30 singers); Canticus Novus ( Ha vana – 30 singers) CANADA: Alliance Córale Alberta (Edmonton – 120 singers) PUERTO RICO: Sociedad Coral de Puerto Rico (80 singers) VENEZUELA: Orfeón Régulo Rico (Gu a t i re – 45 singers); Asociación Civil Coral Voces Ju veniles de Yaracuy ( San Felipe – 120 singers); ADICORALES ( Ed o. Bolívar – 260 singers); Schola Cantorum de Caracas (Caracas – 45 singers); Cantoría Alberto Grau (Caracas – 26 singers); Orfeón Universitario Simón Bolívar (Caracas – 45 singers) ; Pequeños Singers de la Schola (Caracas – 120 singers); Cantoría Ju venil de la Fundación Schola Cantorum de Cacas (15 singers); Polifónico Rafael Su á rez (Caracas – 35 singers); Ancora Ensamble Masculino (Barquisimeto – 15 singers) SWITZERLAND: C o ro Calicantos ( A rcegno – 120 singers) AFRICA: St. Ma t h ews Methodist Church Choir (45 singers) INDIA: Capital City Mi n s t rel (Delhi – 45 singers)

SOUTH AFRICA: South African Choir Associations (250 singers) INDONESIA: Bogor Agricultural Un i versity Choir (Bogor – 50 singers) PORTUGAL: Camerata Vocal de To r re s Vedras (To r res Vedras – 20 singers) SPAIN: C o ro de Cámara del Conserva t o r i o de Música de Las Palmas ( Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – 40 singers) Thank you to eve ryone and we hope you will join us on 12 December 2004, at the 14th International Choral Singing Da y !

•

(Email: fundascc@telcel.net.ve) (Transl. Ian Jones, Be l g i u m )

C a p t u re the excitement of the Sixth World Choral Symposium all over again!

The 2-CD set, titled "Choral Hig h l i g h t s , " includes 49 tracks from 27 participating choirs. To purchase your copy, visit www.stolafrecords.com and follow the link to "Ot h e r Re c o rdings" OR call +1 507-646-3646.

Desperately Seeking Lost Members Can anyone help the IFCM Se c retariat find the following members who seem to have m ove d : China: - Yungiu Tang - Yu Ling Ma - Yungiu Tang - Xiao Ai Zhao Congo (RD): Chorale Gospel di Congo Ge rmany: Juergen Puschbeck Japan: Yuuka Choir Russia: IlyaMy a k i s h e v Swe d e n : Incca Rasmusson-Be l i n USA: Jessica Bissett To enable them to continue receiving the International Choral Bulletin, please send their new addresses to: Jean-Claude Wi l k e n s IFCM International Of f i c e C e n t ro Internacional de la Música de la UNESCO Villa Ga d e a E-03590 Altea, Sp a i n Email: jcwilkens@ifcm.net

Choral World News

Choral

World News 2003: What a Year! - Report from Argentina R i c a rdo A. Denegri

Cantapueblo: Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choral Celebration - 15th Anniversary Alejandro Scarpetta

Choral Music in Indonesia: Report from the National Symposium on Choral Music Tommyanto Kandisaputra

Festival of New Choral Music: Aschaff e n b u rg, Germany - 30th October to 2nd November 2003 Walter Vorwerk

National Ukrainian Choir Festival Mikhail Shukh

Interview with Andrea VeneraciĂłn: Founding Choirmaster of the Philippines Madrigal Singers Macario M. Ofilada, III

2003: What a Year!

Report from Argentina Ricardo A. Denegri IFCM Advisor for Latin-America

The information which comes to us t h rough the ICB is not only a reflection of c u r rent activity; it is also sign of constant g rowth in the choral movement worldwide.

Gi ven the distance between Argentina and the choral nucleii of America and Eu ro p e , and given its economic crisis, people might suppose that Argentina is lacking in i n c e n t i veand re f e rences in choral music.

Howe ve r, during 2003, several choral eve n t s took place which would turn this supposition on its head. I do not wish to diminish the value of local concerts and f e s t i vals; on the contrary, I wish to emphasise those which allow us to enrich the choral activity in the region, such as: In first place, I wish to note the activity which took place last June, namely the L a Plata Ca n t a t Fe s t i val, under the umbrella of the IFCM and with the support of UNESCO, the National Arts Foundation and the Municipal De p a rtment of Cu l t u re of the City of La Plata, and other private and public organisations, which depended on the organisation of the Argentinean Association of Choral Music “America Cantat” (AAMCANT), under the theme of “Musical d i versity in a globalised world”. It was the main activity organised by AAMCANT during the current ye a r, celebrating its tenth year in existence.

The same organisation had the objective of p resenting choral music from the so-called Southern Axis of the American Continent

(including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Pe ru and Uruguay), through seven workshops in preparation of works, under the batons of prestigious conductors and three Fora (“Musical Cre a t i o n”, “Ethnic Mu s i c”, and “Choirs in School”), which included important figures from choral music, music creation and music education of the re g i o n .

Within the framew o rk of this activity, the 600 participants, both Argentinean and nonn a t i ve, took part in more than twenty official concerts, others in cultural, community and educational centres, and took part in the closing concert of the Fe s t i val, all followe d by enthusiastic audiences. In the same way, the Fora we re attended by conductors, singers, educators and others interested in the different subject headings.

In September the In t e rnational Choir Competition of Tre l e w took place, directed

by Alejandro D. Ga r a vano (IFCM board member). Tre l ew is a town situated 1420km f rom the city of Buenos Aires, close to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and in the middle of Patagonia. Notwithstanding the economic crisis, which is not only happening here, other Latin-American groups we re encouraged, and we we re yet able to witness an interesting competition which offered d i f f e rent workshops to those enrolled and through which people got to know the work s and each other, and celebrated a party the final night. The winning entry in the mixe d choir category, which was greatly acclaimed, was the Choir Do m i n a n t e of Finland (conductor Seppo Murto), and which gave surprise with the excellent quality of its concerts and gave great enjoyment to the people of these parts who found its re p e rt o i re unusual. The jury members included Argentineans Ro b e rto Saccente and Néstor A n d renacci, along with Dolf Rabus of Germany. On his arrival, Dolf gave a course

31

in the city of Buenos Aires on “ How to organise a choral event”, with organisation

by Andre n a c c i’s Choral Song Group (Grupo de Canto Coral – GCC).

Within this course, the A r g e n t i n e a n Federated Association of Choral Activities (which comprises the associations and g roups which organise festivals and competitions across the country), and held its first assembly, having completed the formalities for its constitution as a legal entity. Alejandro Scarpetta (Fundación Coppla-Cantapueblo), was elected its first President.

In November, two important courses we re held: on one hand, the Catalonian Josep Prats was invited by Coro Trielce (conductor Néstor Andrenacci) to give a concert. In honour of the Catalonian’s presence, the organisations ADICORA, the Catalonian House of Córdoba and that of Buenos Aires came together to organise in both cities, a conducting course of Eu ropean works; and which was a great success. On the other hand, the AAMCANT, with the support of the North-Western University of Chicago (USA), organised a Course of Interpretation and Conducting Ne g ro Spirituals and

ICB Choral World News

1

ASSOCIAZIOl\ΠIl\fTEIU~i\ZIONl\LE iVViICI DELLA lV1.USICASACRA

International

Choir Events 2004/2005

11 th International Choir FestiYal "Orlando di Lasso" Marche, Italy, May 28 th -31 st, 2004 .-\ddressed to male, female and mhed choirs. vocal groups with max. 12 singers. folksong choirs, youth and children choirs. Comprehends categories with and without compulsory piece: a repertoire of both sacred and profane a-cappella music is to be presented. with one piece of folk music from the choir's country of origin; special category for folk choirs. Deadline for registration: 01.03.2004

7 th International Folksong Choir FestiYal "Europe and its songs" Barcelona (Spain), September 29 th - October 3 rd , 2004

32

.\ddressed to male. female. mLxed. youth and children choirs: repertoire of folksongs without compulsory piece and difficulty level with at least one piece of folk music from the choir's country of origin and one European folksong. Deadline for registration: 01. 06. 2004

10 th International Sacred Music Choir Competition & Concerts "Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina" Latium Region, Rome and the Vatican City, March 18 th - 21 st , 2005 Addressed to male. female, mLxed, youth and children choirs. Comprehends categories with and without compulsory piece: a repertoire of only sacred a-cappella music must be presented among which at least one piece of G.P. da Palestrina. one piece from the XIX century and one contemporary piece composed after 1920.

Deadline for registration: 31.01.2005

Choir Review in Rome - Choral Meeting, Summer 2004 .-\n occasion to meet with other choirs and perform in the most beautiful churches and open spaces in Rome and its surroundings. with accomodation around St. Peter's Square. Combine a splendid summer vacation with unforgettable choir events in the most marvellous venues of the Eternal City with the possibility to meet other choirs.

Choir Review in Rome - Choral Meeting, Winter 2004-2005 Enjoy the enchanting Roman .-\dvent and Christmas atmosphere with shopping and a tour to the hundreds of Christmas cribs in churches and axhibitions. and contemporarily present your country's Advent and Christmas songs to an enthusiastic Roman audience in the most splendid churches and basilicas.

For further infonnation.

Associazione

Internazionale

please contact

Amici della Musica Sacra

Yia Paolo \l. 29 00193 Rome (Italy) Fax: 0039/06/68308568 (,\londay-Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Tel: 0039/06/68309-!-!9 e-mail: info-cori@aiams.it web site: ""''"''·mnicimusicasacrn.com

Gospel, under the baton of Ro b e rtHa r r i s .

Mr. Harris is a choral director and also d i rector of choral activities of No rt h - Western University. With the collaboration of the Gi l a rdo Gi l a rdi Conserva t o ry of Music and the Basilica of the Sa c red He a rt, the course and concert we re undertaken by the students p resent and Mr. Harris, along with the Ju venil Ad rogue Choir (R. Ba r rera) as pilot choir. This was also a feat of historical importance as this type of music had not been studied since 1992 (Alice Pa rk e r, America Cantat I) and previously with Ro b e rt Shaw (1965).

Finally we have to note the 30th International Choral Fe s t i val of Tandil which Be r n a rdo Moroder as its director.

Tandil is a pretty mountain town in the middle of the province of Buenos Aires, 280km from the city. This festival has always counted on the presence of a specially invited choir welcomed by Be r n a rdo and the members of his choirs. This choir usually takes a tour of different cities of Argentina.

On this occasion the Ma u l b ro n n e r K a m m e rchor of Germany (conductor Jürgen Budday) was present and left a clear vision of superb musical quality for all its listeners. At the same time the Music Conservatory of Tandil organised a Course of Spanish Vocal Music of the 16th century, under Néstor Za d o f f, a local specialist in the subject.

We wish that, economic crisis apart, we could repeat years like this for the good of

the choral family and for the general public in Argentina and all Latin America.

La Plata, December 2003 (Email: aamcantlp@infov i a . c o m . a r ) (Transl: Eamonn O’Ma h o n y, Ireland)

Choral World News

Cantapueblo America’s Choral Celebration - 15th Anniversary Alejandro Scarpetta President of the COPPLA Foundation

34

From 11 to 16 November 2003, more than 70 choral groups took part in the 15th anniversary of Cantapueblo, America’s Choral Celebration, which was held in Mendoza, Argentina.

Sl ovenia • Carmina Sl ovenica. Di r.: Karmina _ilec.

Czech Re p u b l i c • Vox Nymburgensis. Di r.: Jan Mi k u s e k .

France • Choeur Au vergne Pérou. Di r.:Kato Ro d r í g u ez, with the participation of the Mussoc Il l a ry Gro u p.

Uruguay • Agrupación Coral Siglo Ve i n t i u n o. Di r..

Rubén Su á rez Canoniero.

• Ensamble Lírico Mo n t e v i d e o. Di r.: Te re s a Techera.

• Coro Vocacional de Juan L. Lacaze. Di r.: Carlos Vi l l a n u e vaDa l m a s .

• Coro Saint Ma l o. Di r.: Rubén Su á rez Canoniero.

Chile • Coro Magisterio de Curanilahue. Di r.: Oscar Ga rcés Torres.

• Coro RPC de la Refinería Pe t rolera de Con Con. Di r.: Ed u a rdo Villalobos.

• Coro de Va rones Ed u a rdo Da Si l va. Di r.

Ed u a rdoVi l l a l o b o s .

• Coro de Niños Poeta Daniel de la Vega.

Dir.: Mauricio He r n á n d ez.

• Coro de Voces Blancas Santa María de los Angeles. Dir.: María Angélica Iturra Cárdenas.

• Coro de Niños de Las Condes. Di r.: Victoria Barc e l o.

Argentina • De Voz en Cuando, vocal octet. Di r.: Sa m y Mi e l g o.

• Coro Polifónico Junín “Rodolfo Alleva”.

Di r.: José Luis Cu e l l a s .

• Coral de las Américas. Dir.: Da m i á n Sánchez.

• Coro Un i versitario de La Plata. Di r.. Lu i s Clemente.

• Coro Colegio del Centenario. Di r.: A l e j a n d roDi n a m a rca.

• Todas las Voces Coro Popular Argentino y C o o p e r a t i vo. Dir.:Os valdo Tomas.

• Coro Polifónico Municipal de Porteña.

Di r.: María Elisa Ludueña de Zo p p e t t o.

• Coro Raíces. Di r.: Dante Br a vo Venegas.

• Agrupación Coral San Ma rtín. Di r.: Dante Br a vo Venegas.

• Coro Centro de Estudiantes Universidad del Comahue. Di r.: Dante Br a vo Venegas.

• Coro Estable Municipal “Voces Argentinas”. Di r.: Luis Alberto Baetti.

• Coro Unión de Padres de Fasta “ Inmaculada Concepción”. Di r.: Eva n g e l i n a Cervera.

• Huerquen Coral Voces del Vi e n t o. Di r.: Mario C. Figueroa.

• Coro Polifónico Municipal de El Trébol.

Di r.: Jorge Alberto Céspedes.

• Agrupación Coral Ayun – Tun. Di r.: Mario C. Figueroa.

Mo re than 40 children’s, young people’s, adults’ and senior citizens’ choirs from Mendoza also took part.

In addition to the traditional “Cantata Callejera” (St reet Cantatas) where the choirs sing in the streets, there we re 25 concerts in m o re than 15 venues during the five days of the Festival.

The highlight was a celebration with 1000 singers in a football stadium (a world re c o rd), conducted by Damián Sánchez, who p e rformed the “Misa Cr i o l l a” in the presence of the composer, Ma e s t roAriel Ramirez , together with his instrumental ensemble and soloist Javier Rodríguez before an audience of ten thousand.

Since 2000, childre n’s choirs and groups f romMe n d o z a’s El e m e n t a ry Schools have participated in this big annual concert. This time, 2000 children sang songs by the wellknown Argentine author and singer Ma r í a Elena Walsh.

As a non-competitive choral eve n t p romoting friendship among nations, Cantapueblo has been declared by UNESCO as an Emblematic Event of the Decade for Peace in the World.

The COPPLA Foundation is responsible for the organisation of the festival, with support f rom the City of Go d oy Cruz, national and p rovincial cultural organisations, institutions and private companies.

Since 1997, Cantapueblo has also taken place in Viña del Mar (Chile) and Qu i t o (Ecuador).

We l l - k n own figures from the choral world s h a red their experience and wisdom with us in this choral celebration of America: Royc e Saltzman (United States of America), Ro b e rt Sund (Sweden), Ma rcos Leite, Carlos A l b e rto Pinto Fonseca y Rosangela Jesuino ( Brazil), Alberto Grau y María Gu i n a n d (Venezuela), Jean Claude Wilkens (Be l g i u m ) , Oswaldo Kuan (Peru), Jorge Bonilla Vera (Chile), Liliana Cangiano, Oscar Escalada, Felipe Vallesi y Angel Magistris (Argentina).

Festival 500 Sharing the Voices

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CHORAL MUSIC AND CELEBRATION OF SONG

July 3-10, 2005 5th Biennial St. John's Eve ry year we reiterate the spirit of the f e s t i val and the shared singing as a manifestation of our heart-felt desire to p romote the integration of peoples.

We invite all choirs around the world to participate in the 2004 festival, from 8 to 14 November.

•

“Cantapueblo, your singing is the expression of your people”

GuestConductors

( Email: cantapueblo@lanet.com.ar Web: www.coppla.org.ar) (Transl: Ian Jones, Be l g i u m )

; a cfea f)ualityJburs TourConsultants

Performing Arts Tours Sinœ 1955

Sinœ1955

ACFEA

Maria Guinand Massed Youth Choir

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12- 15 Hanger Green London W5 3EL ~: +44 20 8799-8360 FAX:+44 20 8998-7965 EMAIL: acfea@stlon.com WEB SITE:www.stlo n.com CST 2063085-40

Join an exciting international raster of singers, guest artists and clinicians for this non-competitive, shared extravaganza in choral music. Celebrate Latin American traditions.

FESTIVAL500 , P.O. Box 2333 , St. John's, Nl CANADA A1C 6E6 Tel: (709) 738 -6013 Fax: (709) 738 -60 14 e-mail: information@festival500.com www.festival .500 .com

Choral World News

Choral Music in Indonesia Report from the National Symposium on Choral Music Tommyanto Kandisaputra Musical Director of the Studio Cantorum Choir and the Bandung Choral Society

36

Indonesia, one of Asia’s most populous countries, is witnessing a cultural phenomenon in the growth of its choral music. Notwithstanding its Muslim majority, the presence of a vigoro u s Christian tradition has provided favourable c i rcumstances for choirs to grow in numbers and in quality. Indonesian choirs are performing on the international stage more f requently and winning more prizes at major international competitions. It was therefore only a matter of time before a major national choral event would take place.

Choral music in Indonesia has blossomed during the last ten years, due to the eagerness of church choirs to participate in festiva l s and concerts. All Indonesian choirs have benefited from the increased In d o n e s i a n attendance at international events. In ord e r to bring the international choral community into its home, Indonesia hosted its first National Symposium on Choral Music b e t ween 29 June and 3 July 2003. This was truly a history-making event, bringing the g reat city of Bandung recognition as the choral capital of Indonesia.

This inaugural National Sy m p o s i u m , organized by the Bandung Choral Society in Bandung, West Ja va, was attended by almost

600 participants f rom aro u n d Indonesia and surrounding countries.

Sessions from basic to advanced leve l s we re presented by t we l ve In d o n e s i a n s of national and international re n own, as well as by three eminent p resenters from the USA: André de Qu a d ros from Boston Un i versity and William Lock and David Hughes, both from California.

The mission of the Bandung Choral So c i e t y is to build greater choral expertise and to nurt u re local passion for choral music, t h rough presenting performances by distinguished conductors and choirs and t h rough the provision of workshops and classes. The Studio Cantorum Choir and Orchestra performed El i j a h by Fe l i x Mendelssohn, conducted by André de Qu a d ros at the start of the Symposium and at the close, the Bandung Choral So c i e t y performed No Greater Love, by John Peterson, conducted

by Tommyanto Kandisaputra.

Daily concerts we re held throughout the four days, performed by the Maranatha Choir f rom Bandung, the Petra Chorale fro m Su r a b a y a , Cherubim, the GII Youth choir, the Bandung Childre n’s Choir, and the

C a n t o rum Singers. The choirs that p e rformed we re well pre p a red and an example of some of Indonesia's finest choral music. Leading soloists included Catharina Leimena, Christopher Abimanyu, and N d a ru Darsono, all from Indonesia, as well as Jennie Stillman from the USA. T h re e Indonesian composers we re featured in the c o n c e rts: Ronald Pohan, whose works have already been sung in concerts and international choir competitions; Bonar “Gorga” Gultom, and Ma rusyaNa i n g g o l a n , who performed her latest work in the Symposium.

The Symposium has made it possible for Indonesian choral musicians to learn and to s h a re the fellowship created through a welldesigned program. In addition to the c o n c e rts, sessions focused on vo c a l technique, sight-singing, interpretation and a rtistic development, and diction. There was also a sequential series of masterclasses for auditioned, advanced conductors.

The success of the symposium is being seen t h roughout Indonesia as choirs enter the new year with wonderful memories and re j u venated passion.

André de Qu a d ros re m a rked, in congratulating the organizers, “The

re m a rkable organizational work of the Bandung Choral Society and the St u d i o C a n t o rum deserves special praise for p resenting a symposium which had all the h a l l m a rks of an event of international standing. ……..The kindness, giving, sharing, musical sounds and excellence will remain with me as the most special memories.”

The success of the Symposium was enhanced t h rough the support of many, including Ro b e rt Sund, who gave permission to use his songs for the open singing sessions, and Bob Chilcott, whose piece Can You Hear Me was performed by a speech-impaired group at the

conclusion of the symposium. This symposium is certain to be the precedent for many similar events which will further s t rengthen the spirit of Indonesian choral music.

•

Tommyanto Kandisaputra is the Musical D i rector of the Studio Ca n t o rum Choir and the Bandung Choral Society. He has had va s t ~::, experience as a conductor and adjudicator in Q.:Jl the various Indonesian provinces. He teaches iSC: ~ singing and is a former student of the 1---' 0 distinguished singing teacher Catharina 0 ..c: Leimena. c.. ( Email: cantorum@bdg.centrin.net.id)

Vi((age Hartvtonv Singing S ecia Hzin

in Pol

Catv.1>s-'l.OOJI.

honk Fol k traditions from Thr ou hout the World

With an international staff of leaders, most of the camps focus on ethnie singing tradit io ns from particular parts of the world. Each session includes 20-30 participants and beglns with a residential week of intens ive learnin g and rehearsing.

The shorter camps then culminate with three concert performances. The longer sessions travel for two weeks,giving concerts and being hosted by local communities. Every group features joyous camarader ie and fine music-making.

• Caucasus Georgia: June 12-July 6 •

New England Teenage Camps

Leaders: Carl Linich, Emily Miller, Ken Shimizu.

Open to adults and students.

Georgia has one of the most rich and ancient polyphonie singing traditions. Rehearsal weekwill be in mountainous Svaneti followed by travel throughout Georgia, mostly hosted by local chairs

Located in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.

June 19-July 8 Leaders: Larry Gordon, Clayton Parr, Suzannah Park.

Shape-note, Appalachian, Brazilian, and early baroque July9-28 Leaders: Carlo Pozzoli, Larry Gordon , Marytha Paffrath.

Traditional and renaissance ltalian , shape-note and Balkan August 1-21 Leaders:John Harrison, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Amity Baker West.Af rican, Gospel, Balkan August 11-20 Leaders: Larry Gordon, Mary Cay Brass Shape-note, Croatian , Serbian, traditiona l American

• Corsica: June 19-July 10 • Leaders: Patty Cuyler, Frank Kane, Benoit Sarochi.

Open to adults and students.

Intensive study of traditional Corsican singing in residence at 16th century restored convent in Canari, with travel throughout the island, meeting and learn ing from traditional singers.

French Baroque Camp Adults and students - ln Western Massachusetts July 29-August 8 Leaders: Larry Gordon , Rip Jackson, Dana Maiben Featuring sacred choral works by Charpentier , Lalande, Bouzignac and Carissimi, with baroque orchestra

Western Massachusetts Adult Camps July 2-11 Leaders: Matlakala Bopape, Alan Gasser, Val Mindel South African , Georgian, Appalachia n August 13-22 Leaders: Patty Cuyler, Peter and Mary Alice Amidon Balkan, Georgia, tradit ional American

For more informat io n vis it : www.northernharmo ny .pair.com rele hone : USA 802 -42.6-3210

email: vharmon @sover.net

37

Choral World News

Festival of New Choral Music Aschaffenburg, Germany - 30th October to 2nd November 2003 Walter Vorwerk Music Journalist

38

The organisers, AMJ (Wo rking Group of German Choral Federations), had been d reaming of putting on a festival of modern choral music long before it actually took place in the north Ba varian town of Aschaffenburg from 30th October to 2nd November 2003. It was a promising start.

Apart from the six concerts, there we re four open rehearsals given by semi-professional choirs, five interesting seminars or "reading sessions" devoted to working through new l i t e r a t u re in the various choral categories, opportunities to browse through or purc h a s e recent sheet music publications, and musicological presentations where one could b roaden or deepen one's knowledge about modern choral music.

Setting up and organising this modern choral music festival re q u i red of the AMJ plenty of patience and a good support network. The support in this case came from the municipality of Aschaffenburg and the International Choral Forum (ICF), g overnment authorities both federal and Ba varian, public broadcasting organisations, foundations and many volunteer helpers and choral music enthusiasts, both professional and amateur.

The idea of these four intensive days in Aschaffenburg was to provide a podium for new choral music in this country, a sort of c o n f e rence but in the spirit of a festiva l , independent of the petty egoisms of choral associations, and of a particular choir's or conductor's status. What started as an idea became in the end a concrete plan: to make this festival of modern choral music re a l l y happen with the help of an artistic advisory council.

Whoever has in mind, in these times of financial belt-tightening, to undertake anything in the realm of culture, music and in particular choral music, has to be possessed of a great deal of courage,

determination and a powe rful line in convincing others of the sense of such an endeavour. A fair slice of luck is also useful, to come upon the right sort of allies. Ku rt Su t t n e r, the Augsburg professor of music and choral coach, founder and director of the Munich via nova Choir, has all these things.

He is chairman of the advisory council of the Fe s t i val of Modern Choral Music. He is in a g reement with Clytus Gottwald (who gave an extraordinarily well-re c e i ved lecture entitled "Contemporary Choral Music, its roots, phases of development and future p rospects" and who has been conductor of Schola Cantorum St u t t g a rt for many ye a r s ) that the time is long overdue for prov i d i n g such a podium for contemporary choral music.

For a number of decades now, choral music has not just been a poor relation to contemporary instrumental music, but has on the contrary found its own direction and become well and truly independent.

Nowadays contemporary choral music is not just for elite choirs. So it was in keeping with the spirit of the Aschaffenburg festival that p rofessional, semi-professional and amateur choirs we re all invo l ved. This was especially a p p ropriate in the context of the seve n t h " c o n c e rtof first performances" in the AMJ series "Composers write for children's and youth choirs". An important consideration was to give composers a chance to lay aside their prejudices against choral music, in the k n owledge that an actual performance would be forthcoming.

Something worth seriously bearing in mind is that seven of the largest choral associations in this country are united in the Working Group of German Choral Federations (ADC). This federation has three-and-a-half million members and is thus the largest national choral federation. So it would be a good idea in the future to put on the modern

choral music festival collectively eve ry two years, both from a financial point of view and for the sake of enlarging the number of interested parties. Uniting forces in this way would be much more effective than having each individual choral association ambitiously organising its own little modern music festival. The results of the Aschaffenburg festival make this abundantly clear. Only in this way can Suttner's and Gottwald's vision, and not only theirs, become re a l i t y, namely that Aschaffenburg become for modern choral music what Donaueschingen or Darmstadt have for years been for contemporary instrumental music.

We will see what form this all takes when the next festival of modern choral music is held in Aschaffenburg from 20th to 23rdOc t o b e r 2005).

(Email: walter. vo rwerk@gmx.de) (Translation: Andrew Wise, Be l g i u m )

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Choral World News

National Ukrainian Choir Festival Mikhail Shukh Artistic Director of the “Pevchesky Sobor” Choir Festival

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From September 11 to 14, 2003, the churches and surrounding pro p e rty of the Sviatogorsk monastery and the Do n e t s k Academic So l ovianenko Opera T h e a t re we re host to the second All-Ukrainian Choir Fe s t i val, Pevchesky Sobor on the Sa c re d Mountains. This initiative was supported by theMi n i s t ry of Cu l t u re and Arts of the Ukraine, the Donetsk regional government, the mayoralties of the cities of Slaviansk and Sviatogorsk, international cultural organizations and businesses. The principal sponsor was the regional Internet-prov i d e r, Do n b a s s Telecom. The festival was organized by the p roduction agency, Mobius St r i p, and the artistic director was Mikhail Sh u k h .

The Sviatogorsk monastery is a state historical and architectural re s e rve. It includes ancient caves, ground constructions and sanatorium, which have been visited by many distinguished figures, in particular, the Russian writers Anton Chekhov andKu p r i n .

The nature of the reserve is unique; above the smooth surface of the river hang 200meter cretaceous rocks with numero u s ancient cave - d wellings of monks. There are many legends and hypotheses about its origins, but till now none of them has been va l idated. Today the Sviatogorsk monastery is one of the major centres of spiritual life in the Ukraine, a place of pilgrimage, and a popular re s o rt. Visitors to the Fe s t i val we re

able to witness the liturgical life and ancient song tradition of the Ort h o d ox Church in the daily monastic religious observa n c e s .

The following choirs participated: Kiev Municipal Chamber Choir K reschatik, State Academic Men's Chapel Choir of Ukraine, Me n ' s Choir of the Kiev Spiritual Ac a d e m y and Se m i n a ry, Female Choir of the Kiev Music School, and Choir of the Donetsk State Music Ac a d e m y. The new p roject of the festival was the Parade of Choirs, in which festival choirs pre s e n t e d colourful and dramatic folklore in the open air on the coast of the river Se verski Do n e t s .

Workshops included a masterclass with the Kiev Municipal Chamber Choir Kreschatik g i ven by Professor André de Qu a d ros (USA) and a presentation by musicologist Erzy Stankevich, Chairman of the Poland Composers' Union (Krakow), on the choral culture of Poland. Other concert programs included spiritual ort h o d oxmusic, from ancient to modern including works by C h e s n o k ov, Bortniansky, Tchaikovsky, R a c h m a n i n ov, Ishchenko, Polevaia, Sh c h e r b a k ov, Shukh and Dyc h k o.

Mikhail Sh u k h is a composer, artistic dire c t o r of the choir festival "Pe vchesky Sobor", laure a t e of the Lysenko and Prokofiev awards, and win ner of the festival "Chervona Ruta". He has been awarded the "Most distinguished art i s t " in the Eu ropean International Competition for composers IBLA GRAND PRIZE-2000 (Italy).

He is a member of the Uk rainian Composers' Union, and of the Al l - Uk rainian Guild of Film Directors. He is also a senior lecturer of the National Pedagogical Un i versity of Ukraine.

(Email: shukh@ukr.net)

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Interview with Andrea Veneración Founding Choirmaster of the Philippine Madrigal Singers Macario M. Ofilada, III Professorial lecturer of Philosophy in Manila

Our interviewee is famed as a doer rather than a talker, but we have persuaded her to articulate, for the first time in 40 ye a r s , some of the cornerstones of her methods.

Macario M. Ofilada (MO): After winning the National Artist Aw a rd and after a long and fruitful career as a choral conductor, what now? It is obvious that you are not resting on your laurels.

Andrea Veneración (AV): For me, winning the National Artist Aw a rd is not an end, though people normally understand award s that way. It is only a means to an end. By winning this award, the government as we l l as the people have officially re c o g n i zedthe importance of a sustained choral program for the country. Thus, not only is publicity g i ven to the choral movement in general, but especially support, whether monetary or spiritual, to the sustained development and c o r rect training of choirs in the country.

This is where the Philippine Ma d r i g a l Singers et al. come in. We perform not only in the far reaches of the country. We also hold choral clinics and form new choirs f o l l owing the techniques and principles that I have used as choirmaster of the Madz (as the Philippine Madrigal Singers are fondly called by their audiences).

MO: As a choral conductor on what do you put emphasis in the formation and training of the choir?

AV: You see, before I “e vo l ve d” into being a choral conductor, I was a piano and voice major and until my re t i rement from academe I was a piano and voice professor in the Un i versity of the Philippines. I do not b e l i e ve that the success of a choir is attributable primarily to singing harmoniously together. This, for me, is a n a ï ve idea. Of course, we must sing together, but the basic ingredient of an excellent choir

consists of beautiful and well-trained vo i c e s .

My approach is that of a vocal coach and teacher. I insist that eve ry member of the choir be trained as a soloist or be given solo training. Thus, eve ry singer is a potential soloist. In my youth, I was a lyric soprano and performed as a soloist in recitals and opera performances. The training of a soloist would above all entail pro p e r b reathing techniques, which I believe is the root of excellent vocal technique. The key to correct singing is correct bre a t h i n g .

Likewise, proper diction, projection, tonal p roduction, etc. should be learned. You cannot just sing together. Choir members with deficient vocal techniques cannot p roduce a satisfactory performance. Each person must learn how to sing properly and only later on can these members sing together. A choral conductor must know his instrument ve ry well; namely, the voices of his members. He should painstakingly nourish, train and take care of these vo i c e s .

To the risk of sounding like a broken re c o rd, I remind my singers to vo c a l i zeeve ryd a y, to take care of themselves and their vo i c e s .

MO: Aside from your insistence on corre c t vocal technique, how do you think your approach is different from that of other choirs and conductors, at least here in thePh i l i p p i n e s ?

AV: Aside from developing my singers into potential soloists, I also take care of their musical growth and development. You see, in the Philippine Madrigal Singers, we do not spoon-feed. We train each of our singers to be competent and responsible musicians, able to read notes, able to bring together the basic elements of pitch, rhythm, tone, intensity, etc. in performance. In other words, able to study the music on their ow n .

Hence, solfeggio and ear training are give n emphasis. Choral singing is a serious business and I believe that all choir members

must commit themselves to becoming able musicians. This necessarily implies self-discipline: to attend all rehearsals religiously, and learn the music on their ow n .

The singers should not come to rehearsals without having studied the music. Thus, the task of polishing, harmonizing and perfecting the performance of the music becomes easier. Choir members do not just become serious singers and musicians, but they also become potential choral conductors and teachers. They do not just perform, but they could share the principles of performing with others.

MO: I remember that there was a time when the Philippine Madrigal Singers we re known to be sight singers. Is sight-singing skill a pre re q uisite for membership in the Ma d z ?

AV: T h e re was a time, particularly in the early years of the Madz (in the 1960s), that all members we re professional musicians and b e f o rejoining the choir they we re alre a d y adept in sight-singing. As the years went by, non-musicians joined our fold. But these also took the initiative to study voice lessons on their own. Then the time came that the Madz became the training ground for nonmusicians; and the marvel of it is that these non-musicians, during their stay in the choir, have grown and matured into exc e l l e n t musicians in their own right. Some of them a re right now conductors of their own choirs.

Some have even competed internationally and won first prizes in their categories. They really grew in and with the Ma d z .

MO: So the Madz experience not only teaches people, but enables them to teach.

AV: Exactly! For me this is the only genuine fruit of the discipline of choral music. It has to start with taking the music seriously. I believe in self-initiative. The members should not rely on the conductor for

ICB Choral World News

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Choral World News ...Interview with Andrea Veneración

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everything. Ot h e rwise they will end up as spoiled brats. You know a tree by its fruits.

MO: Gi ven that the Madz also accepts nonmusicians into its fold, how do you conduct your auditions for new members? What do yo u look for in potential members?

AV: For non-musicians, the first thing I determine is whether they have good ears.

Of course, they should also have beautiful singing voices. The importance of beautiful singing voices in a choir cannot be overemphasized. Having good ears means that the one auditioning is capable of learning. To determine this, I see if they can imitate a pitch. On the piano, I play a certain melodic line or chord and I see if they are capable of matching the pitch or imitating what I have played with their voices. Then I proceed to start giving them vocalization exe rcises in order to see the potential of their voice. They should have these basic ingredients, and later on we p roceed to musical training such as note reading, etc. To facilitate the learning p rocess, I divide the choir into quartets.

The members help one another in studying, learning, memorizing, and rehearsing the music. In other words, the responsibility is s h a red. In the history of the Madz, some of the more outstanding members even held the musical whip in training and disciplining the others. They we re a great help to me. So m e we re even stricter disciplinarians than I was.

MO: Can you tell our readers how you approach a new score or a choral piece that yo u encounter for the first time?

AV: My first acquaintance with a new score or a composer for the first time, aside from reading through the score, begins with my own re s e a rch about the composer, the period he lived in, the year of the composition, and the message of the composition. I acquaint

myself with the composer and with the message he wishes to impart. In other w o rds, I investigate the intentions of the composer in the composition. Then I i n vestigate the language of the text: the rules of pronunciation and its meaning. I also re s e a rch the composer’s philosophy of life, the philosophy embodied by the composer’s land of birth, and how this same philosophy is reflected in the choral piece.

Let me cite a concrete example. Both Mendelssohn and Mo n t e ve rdi wrote about death, but each one with his ow n philosophy. The latter wrote from the viewpoint of a desolate love r, the former had a Germanic or philosophical way of viewing the end of life. Mendelssohn’s version is b e reft of sentimentality, where a s Mo n t e ve rd i’s work is full of it and with lots of despair. If the piece is contemporary and if it is possible, I interview the composer, as I did in the case of a contemporary Basque composer. Aside from having to ask the help of a Basque priest living in Manila for the c o r rect pronunciation, I interviewed the composer and asked my singers to perform his piece in his presence. In his song, which portrays the flight of the bird, he told me that there should a point wherein we must let go of the rhythmical stru c t u reand try to c a p t u rethe boundless soaring of the bird with its erratic rhythm and feeling. This is quite common among Spanish choral compositions. T h e re comes a time when yo u really have to let go. Again, this is re f l e c t i ve of the philosophy and culture of the co poser and the milieu of his work .

MO: Some would jokingly say that you are the laziest conductor in the world. Bu t seriously they are fascinated with your way of conducting. You conduct without using yo u r hands. In the Ma d z’s semi-circle f o rmation you sit at the left extreme of the

s e m i - c i rcle and it seems that you do not do any thing except give cues with inclinations of yo u r head, with raising up your shoulders a bit, or with subtle movements of the eye and the lips.

AV: When the music has been learned to near perfection - and I say near perfection because there is no perfect performance - all m ovements on the part of the conductor are in effect superfluous. This is different during rehearsals. I sit behind a desk and I stomp my foot or bang the table with my hand to mark the beat until my singers no longer need to hear the rhythm, but is already inside their being. I believe that the rhythm is the heart of music. Just like in the human body, all the other organs may fail or cease to function, but if the heart is still beating then the person is still alive. It is the same with music. From here, eve rything is i roned out: tonal production, p ronunciation, cues, rhythm, dynamics, etc.

But as the group continues to rehearse the pieces, I give fewer and fewer visual cues until I give only minimal cues such as the downbeat with my head or certain nuances with my eyes, shoulders and face. No hands!

It is because the singers already know the music ve ry well and can confidently perform.

During a performance, I do not conduct my singers. They already know the sound I want them to produce: when they should enter, the colors and shades they have to project. I do not have to cue them ove rt l y. I just let them flow. I am one with them. We become one body, singing with the same breath. No dictatorial pretensions on my part. I just lead. The responsibility of giving an

e xcellent performance does not belong to me, as choirmaster, alone. It belongs to each and eve ry member too. This is what I try to reflect in my peculiar style of conducting.

Mo re ove r, I’ve always pre f e r red the restrained and deemed it as more tasteful than what is pompous. Hence, this style of conducting is not flashy or show y. Instead it quietly but insistently reflects the intensity of the union b e t ween singers and choirmaster and the s h a red responsibility of rendering a respectable and credible performance.

MO: Now that’s originality!

AV: Ac t u a l l y, my style is not all that original.

That was how the madrigals we re sung in the renaissance period. No one was conducting among the singers. One of the singers lead the group seated in a semi-circle or around a table by giving non-ove rt cues. In those days, each singer was a cultured person who knew how to read music, who knew how to i n t e r p ret a piece. In other words, each singer then was responsible and competent. The ability to sight-read a musical piece was the m a rk of an educated person. This is basically the same style that I apply. With due respect, the ove rt movements of the hands of conductors do enhance the performance of a piece and most of our great conductors conduct in this traditional style. Howe ve r, t h e recomes a point wherein such ove rt m ovements become exc e s s i ve and eve n u n n e c e s s a ry. Sometimes, conductors during a performance are ‘show men’ rather than serious musicians. Behind what people jokingly call as my “lazy” style of conducting is a lot of hard work, visible only during rehearsals, of instilling upon the singers discipline, responsibility and competence in learning the re p e rt o i re. All these become invisible during a performance and what the audience can only see is the pleasure of performing the pieces we painstakingly

studied and rehearsed together.

MO: May we ask you to give some advice to aspiring or beginning choral conductors?

AV: First of all, aspiring choral conductors should thoroughly learn the music. Of course, this presupposes that these aspiring choral conductors are musically competent.

It would be useless if they we re otherwise.

Then, I believe that he should instill discipline in his singers, defining each m e m b e r’s contribution and responsibility for the music to be performed. This means that he should not spoon-feed his singers. He should equip them with sufficient musical k n owledge to study the music on their ow n and to be responsible for their roles in the choir as a whole. I believe that a choral conductor with a pianistic background has an advantage over the others. I am speaking f rom experience. A pianist does not learn music note by note. He reads a score by c h o rds, by arpeggios, by groups of notes and not in an isolated manner. A pianist is trained to read ve rtically and hence, possesses a broad vision of the score to be performed.

You cannot approach a choral piece without this broad vision proper to pianists. Of course, it is also important to know vo c a l technique, which is helpful in the p roduction of the tones, but a pianistic a p p roach to a choral score is advantageous for a choral conductor since he is re s p o n s i b l e for all the notes and parts. The singers are only responsible for their parts. They should be given adequate vocal training to read and sing their notes. The conductor must bring together all these notes into a meaningf u l whole.

MO: One last question. You pioneered inter national recognition for your country by means of the participation of the PhilippineMa d r i g a l Singers in the worl d’s most prestigious choral

competitions and festivals: Varna, Arezzo Gorizia,, Neufchâtel, Ma rk t o b e rd o rf, Tolosa ,and Tours to name a few. You also served as j u ror in international competitions. Do n’t yo u think that such competitions somehow clamp or re s t rain the creativity of the choral conductor since in order to win the competition a choir must interpret the pieces to the letter?

AV: First of all, I believe that such international competitions are an excellent gauge to find out if the choir is growing in the right direction, since the organizers and judges of such competitions are the world’s f o remost authorities in choral music and performance. I do not believe that such competitions clamp the cre a t i vepossibilities.

T h e re are many legitimate approaches.

Ad m i t t e d l y, it is difficult to establish clear and strict borders between what is legitimate and non-legitimate in the execution of choral pieces. This is why a choral conductor should have good taste, which experience alone can teach you. Good taste should g overn all choral performances. In a competition, the choirs are graded not a c c o rding to precise canons of interpretation but in terms of legitimate choral approaches, which are governed by good taste and t h o rough musical studies and backgro u n d .

I believe that choirs are marked not based on accuracy or exactness in following the m a rkings in a score but in terms of intelligence in bringing to life said mark i n g s , even to the point of taking certain liberties.

T h e re are many ways to skin a cat. It is the same with a choral piece. Ap p roaches to i n t e r p retation are not usually gauged in terms of precision and correctness, but rather in terms of acceptability or validity or legitimacy. These approaches are mainly determined by the wealth of experience of the conductor and should be learned in rehearsals. In all of our choral competitions, I advised my singers to refrain from listening

ICB Choral World News

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to the other competing choirs and being influenced by their way of singing. Their a p p roach is legitimate and so is ours, I tell them. While it may be true that they sing better or perform a piece better than the way we studied it, we should stick to the discipline we have learned and not deviate f rom it when we compete.

My advice to choirs who want to taste their mettle in choral competitions is to strive after perfection, but do not strive to be perfect, since nobody is perfect and a perfect performance does not exist. Such choirs should rehearse their competition pieces thoroughly. Their rendition should be g overned by good taste and backed by a sound musical background, which is the responsibility of the conductor. They should not be disappointed if they do not win. You cannot win eve rything and winning is not everything. Rather, they should go on learning and studying. Choral singing should be pursued for sheer love and pleasure. Competitions are only secondary.

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Se ve n t y - s i x - year-old An d rea O. Veneración re c e i ved the Philippine nation’s highest cultural a w a rd in 1999, the National Artist Aw a rd for Music, becoming the first-ever choral director to

be thus hon o red for uplift ing the Ph i l i p p i n e spirit thro u g h a rtistic excel lence. Al re a d y the recipient of the Eu ro p e a n Grand Pr i ze in 1997, the Philippine award was given to her in recognition of a long and fruitful career as thePh i l i p p i n e’s fore m o s t authority on choral music, and for the impact of her work, especially teaching, on the art i s t i c and cultural heritage of the nation.

Veneración, former University of the Philippines Professor of Voice (now re t i red), is founder of the worl d - re n owned Philippine Madrigal Singers, now celebrating its ru by anniversary. Members have gone on to found many new choirs and to sponsor choral clinics, e ven in the remotest regions of the country.

These choirs are known as thePh i l i p p i n e Madrigal Singers et al., and have helped to disseminate her educational legacy thro u g h o u t the nation.

Although Professor Veneración re t i red from her post as Choirmaster of the PhilippineMa d r i g a l Singers in 2001, she has continued her i n vo l vement in choral music. She is pre s e n t l y

training a new Philippine choir of non-musicians! She also continues to serve as choral adjudicator, recently at the Choral Olympics in Busan, Ko re a .

(Email: chiqui@philonline.com.ph) Dr. Macario M. Ofilada, III (b. 1971), a p rofessorial lecturer of philosophy inMa n i l a , has written extensively in the field of philosophy, including literary critiques and cultural reviews. His work has been published in the Philippines as well as in Eu ro p e .

(Email: tong2x@pacific.net.ph)

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World of Children’s & Youth Choirs

World of

Children’s and YouthChoirs An Outstanding Childre n ’s Choir: What is it?

Leon Shiu-Wai TONG

An Outstanding Childre n ’s Choir What is it?

President of Hong Kong Treble Choirs’ Association, Vice-President of China Association of Children’s Choral Music

The Point of View of a Jury Member and Conductor of a Childre n’s Choir in Asia

Children’s choral music is not just an art form. It also plays a critical role in the g rowth of eve ry child, which cannot be easily replaced by other activities.

Choral singing can boost childre n’s creativity and help them to learn quicker in their studies. It therefore builds a long-term and solid foundation on which they can develop their careers in their future. Singing is the most direct way to express one’s own feelings, t h rough which children can enhance their language ability and learn to get along with others and raise their EQ (emotional quotient). They also learn to respect and a p p reciate each other through choral activities.

An outstanding treble choir should first have healthy voices, a correct breathing method and diversified yet contrasting repert o i re. It must also have a good mastery of singing techniques and interpretation of re p e rt o i re .

If a choir wants to take part in contests, it must stand out from the others and there is then another set of conditions to fulfil. To become a truly outstanding treble choir, it must put much effort into the follow i n g aspects:

Photo: Leon Tong

I. Repertoire The choir must perform contemporary re p e rt o i reskilfully and correctly and perform a cappella, in tune.

II. Voice Apart from the correct mastery of Bel Ca n t o, the choir should also use different ways of p roducing voices depending on the re q u i rements of each type of repert o i re. It is also essential to be skilful in producing both fine and coarse sounds.

III. Pe rf o rm a n c e The choir should have a good understanding of the main idea of a piece and its lyrics.

Rich creativity, appropriate musical sense, tone variety, good phrasing and balanced harmonic sensation enables the choir to bring a genuine musical experience to the audience.

IV. Pe rf o rmance style Based on the acoustic re q u i rements of the repert o i re, a good choir should make a p p ropriate variety in their arrangements on stage when necessary. This can be achieved through re-arranging the positions of the members, suitable body movements and humorous, light interpretation. In addition, facial expressions, eye contact among members, good use of costumes, stage props and choreography can also add variety to performances. Howe ver we must bew a re of not ove rdoing this.

V. Uniqueness The choir should try to select and invite composers to write or re-arrange pieces with s t rong cultural characteristics. They should be varied and compre h e n s i veenough to demonstrate the standard of the choir and the unique style of the works themselve s .

Photo: Leon Tong

Leon Shiu-Wai TONG

VI. Childishness and Pl a y f u l n e s s Conductors should choose re p e rt o i re with content comprehensible to children. They should interpret the re p e rt o i re from the point of view of the children and based on their imaginations.

VII. Difficulties It is crucial for conductors to choose repertoire according to the standard of the choir. If the re p e rt o i re is howe ver challenging in rhythm, harmony, parts, range or technique, and the choir is able to handle these aspects, the performance is bound to surprise the audience.

VIII. Contrast The choir should choose pieces in various styles, such as art music or folklore, a cappella or accompanied, contemporary or classical, contemplative or extrove rt .

IX. Imagine and listen more when singing.

X. Maintain a good relationship betwe e n the conductor and the choir.

The conductor of an outstanding choir should interact more with the members.

They should not slavishly follow the conductor. Performances do not need to be identical: variations and changes are allowable.

Choral music is now taking great steps forw a rd in Asia. T h e re are more and more exchange performances, music festivals and international choral contests. It’s not unusual to have many treble choirs from Japan, Ko rea, Si n g a p o re, India and China participating in international choral contests.

The 1st Children’s Choir Conference

ICB World of Childre n’s and Youth Choirs

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Photo: Leon Tong

The earnestness, diligence and obedience of the Japanese may best be reflected in their choral activities. Ja p a n p resents its national school choral contests on the last Sa t u rd a y and Sunday in October every year. The high standards, rich variation in re p e rt o i reand the p rofessionalism of the conducting have significantly impressed audiences and b roadened their horizo n s .

Ko rean treble choirs are well known for their cultural characteristics. Audiences are often m oved by their fine melodies and beautiful clothing. The First Vision Childre n’s Choir Fe s t i val held eve ry two years is an international event. Each year re n ow n e d treble choirs from all over the world are invited to participate in it.

Under the active support of its Government, the standard of Si n g a p o re a n choirs has risen noticeably in the past decade. Over fifty local schools invite outside professionals to conduct and train their choirs. In recent years, its choirs have begun to win prizes in international contests.

On the other hand, treble choirs in Indonesia tend to choose pop music as repert o i re. There are fewer choirs compare d to other countries. Choral activities in Thailand, Malaysia or Vietnam a re not ve ry

developed.

With the official implementation of quality education, there are many school arts festivals, city-scale school choral contests, setting up of Children’s Palace choirs (there are more than two thousand such Palaces in the country: official organisations whose mission it is to develop high quality education and offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities for c h i l d ren) and contests for the whole of C h i n a. In 1998 and 2001, the International Federation for Choral Music, the Ho n g Kong Treble Choirs’ Association, the Guangzhou Childre n’s Palace and the Association of Childre n’s Choral Music of China co-presented two International Children’s Choir Festivals. Held in four cities in China, each Fe s t i val invited world famous choral experts and choirs to join it. The programme included concerts, seminars and w o rkshops.

International choral festivals exe rt significant influence and explore new developments in t reble choirs with respect to voice concepts, performance styles, interpretation of re p e rt o i reand composition.

In China, there are more and more choirs participating in international contests and winning first prizes (Guangzhou Childre n’s Palace Choir, Gu a n g d o n g Experimental Se c o n d a ry School, Shenzhen Mi d d l e School and Shenzhen Se n i o r Se c o n d a ry School).

In the 2002 Se c o n d Choir Olympics in Busan, Ko re a , China won the largest number of gold medals. The six gold medals

awarded to treble choirs made China the overall champion of this Festival.

The performance of more contemporary and a cappella re p e rt o i reare both new directions in Chinese choral music. The 2005 Wo rl d Children’s Choir Festival (9-15 July 2005) in Hong Kong and the T h i rd International Children’s Choir Festiva l, China (16 July onwards) are now inviting applications from outstanding treble choirs all over the world.

Let us share our experience and explore the valuable assets of world choral music in Hong Kong.

P.S. During this Chinese New Year, I had the opportunity to attend the China Na t i o n a l Se c o n d a ry Schools’ Choral Fe s t i val in Beijing. Dozens of outstanding choirs fro m all over the country joined this contest. The rich variety and high standard of performance impressed every audience and it was a ve ry good opportunity to experience the cultural wealth of China. I will give you a fuller picture of this Fe s t i val in the next issue. The status of the preparations for the 2005 World Children’s Choir Fe s t i val will also be included.

•

48

IFCM Board member, Leon Sh i u - Wai TO N G led the Hong Kong Children’s Choir and Guangzhou Childre n’s Palace Choir in per f o rmances at the Wo rld Symposium on Choral Music at Va n c o u ver (1993) and Ro t t e rdam (1999). He was a jury member of the First and Second Choir Olympics (Linz, Busan), the 4th Fe s t i val & Competition “Isola del Sole” (Italy), International Choral Kathaumixw (Ca n a d a , 1996, 2004) and the 21st Ce n t u ry International Choral Festival (Malaysia). He is currently President of the Exe c u t i ve Committee of the 2nd Wo rld Childre n’s Choir Fe s t i val and the 3rd International Children’s Choir Festival, China in 2005.

(Email: hktchoir@netvigator.com)

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Collector’s Corner

Collector’s Corner New CD Releases Jean-Marie Marchal

Dies Irae: A Guide to Requiem Music Dr. Steven Grives

Choral Visions in Music Jutta Tagger

New CD Releases Jean-Marie Marchal

The choir of Westminster Cathedral is without a doubt one of the jewels of the English tradition. The work of Gi ova n n i Pierluigi da Palestrina has long been a part of this ensemble's re p e rt o i re, as well as that of the conductors who have succeeded each other from generation to generation. The most recent director, Ma rtin Baker, follow s in his predecessors’ footsteps by also re c o rding works by the Italian composer. The p rogram in this case is devoted to a selection of works by Palestrina for Advent and Christmas.

The programme centres on the superb motet for double choir Hodie Christus natus est a n d the mass setting which is based on it. The performers’ approach it with enthusiasm and fervo u r, showing proof of a real sense of a rticulation and phrasing. All of this energy put to the service of this festive re p e rt o i re is without a doubt admirable, but the overall p roduct lacks a bit in contrast. The vo c a l lines are too systematically tense and the full but slightly monolithic sound of the choir does not always allow the music of Palestrina to unveil all its colours. (Hy p e rion CDA 6 7 3 9 6) The music of Thomas Tomkins also possesses a variety of colours and subtleties, which goes from the communicative fervour

of the verse anthems to the austere c o n t e m p l a t i ve beauty of the C o n s o rt of Vi o l s, not to mention the madrigal-like charms of the S o n g s. This wide variety of textures and atmospheres is exceedingly well re n d e red by the team of singers gathered around the ensemble called Fre t w o rk. In this group can be found names that have long been early music headliners, such as Emma Kirk by and Charles Daniels. Their knowledge of this repert o i re is immense, and it is logical that they reach their goals without a problem.

The performance is perfect in style and elegance, as is that of the instrumentalists, who reveal the depth of the most intimate works by this English composer. The program successfully alternates S o n g s, An t h e m s and instrumental pieces in such a way that our i n t e rest never flags, all for our greater delight. (Ab ove the Starrs - Ha rmonia Mundi HMU 907320) In another colour, more immediately sunny and extrove rted, the Italian ensemble Cantica Symphonia, co-directed by Giuseppe Maletto and by Kees Boeke, offers us a second volume of motets by C o s t a n zo Fe s t a. The art deployed by the transalpine singers to serve the proper translations of the emotions suggested by the text is fully e x p ressed here. The music of Festa re veals itself to be at times fluid and beguiling, at times intimate and painful or noble and majestic. The flexibility, the vivacity and the quick intelligence of the performers is neve r at fault and they do justice to true word-painting skills of this Italian composer.

Without a doubt, this is an exc e l l e n t occasion to discover this harbinger of the madrigal, since Festa's art evo l ved in the first half of the 16th century, well before the golden age of the madrigal in It a l y.

(Stradiva rius 33585) The fashion of having the great choral Ba roque works performed by ensembles of

soloists seems to be gaining in favo u r. Some see this as an ideal solution to presenting, for example, all of the harmonic and contrapuntal complexity of the music of Ba c h with re m a rkable transpare n c y. No doubt this is true, but it also means missing out on two essential points: the dynamic contrasts and the richness of sound that is c reated, and also the vocal cohesion and blend when polyphony is entrusted to soloists who, it must be said, are not used to the discipline and humility that this particular art supposes. Evidently, the i n t e r p retations by the ensemble Cantus Cölln do not suffer from this second point.

These German musicians have become masters of the madrigal re p e rt o i re, which re q u i res technical prowess, eloquence, e x p ression, mutual listening and teamwork .

Their previous recording of Bach cantatas was, in effect, convincing. In this recording, they take on the monumental Mass in B minor. The reading offered here by Ko n r a d Junghänel confirms their success vo c a l l y speaking: all the singers work tow a rds the same goal, offering a poetic vision of the w o rk, attentive to the rhetoric of the word s .

Unfortunately, the performance of the instrumental players remains well under the commitment and warm lyricism of the

ICB C o l l e c t o r’s Corner

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52

voices. This coldness in the instrumental ensemble destabilizes and alters the quality of this re c o rding, which is otherwise ve ry c o h e s i ve from an aesthetic point of view.

(Ha rmonia Mundi HMC 901813.14) Still with the German Ba roque period, we m ove now to two re c o rdings devoted to a p reviously little-known composer, Ge o r g Gebel (1709-1753). For the first, Lu d g e r Remy turned to a St. John Passion written in 1748. Of a classic and rigorous stru c t u re, it is illuminated from the interior by arias that a re ve ry diverse in their formality and sound, often full of imagination with re g a rd to the instrumentation. The interpretation of the soloists, of the ensemble in-Canto Weimer and the Ba roque orchestra of Weimar re ve a l s itself to be right on the mark, and is both seducing and delicately spiritual. (C P O 9 9 9 8 9 4 - 2). For the second re c o rding, Be r n h a rdKlapprott devoted himself to two oratorios, also both dating from 1748, with one written for Christmas and the other for New Year's Da y. Once again, the Ge b e l orchestration magnificently brings forth the ambiance, the character and the events, thanks to a variety of colours: trumpets, horns and timpani with the choruses and woodwinds and strings for the arias. The i n t e r p retation, which is blessed with a solid quartet of soloists, is pleasant and endearing but lacks sometimes in strength and conviction. (Cantus & Capella T h u ri n g i a CPO 999993-2) Christ on the Mount of Ol i ves was Be e t h oven's first major work for soloists, chorus and orchestra. This work, which recalls Handel's great oratorios but nonetheless fore s h a d ows Fi d e l i o, consequently seems to be re l a t i ve l y unbalanced and torn between episodes of generous, almost visionary, lyricism and other moments which are much more conventional. Kent Nagano offers us his

vision of this somewhat neglected opus with few re c o rdings to its credit. Dynamic and competent, the conductor leads his forc e s with assurance and conviction, giving a maximum of dramatic cohesion to a work which is sometimes short of drama.

Luxuriously cast (Domingo, Or g o n a s ova, Schmidt), this re c o rding possesses enough of the qualities to put it at the top of the discography for this oratorio. Its main star, h owe ve r, the otherwise excellent Pl a c i d o Domingo, seems to be a little too contained in his role to do it complete justice. (Berlin Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra * Ha rmonia Mundi HMC 801802 * SACD Hy b ri d e) The famous Fauré Requiem is one of those refined and subtle works which re q u i res a miraculous balance between warm lyricism, t r a n s p a rent textures and restraint for the ideal performance. In the midst of a substantial discography, rare are those re c o rdings which successfully reach or even a p p roach that ideal. Yan Pascal Tortelier, leading the Birmingham Symphony Chorus and the BBC Philharmonic, takes on the challenge in a re c o rding which also includes the Cantique de Jean Ra c i n e, Naissance de Vénus and Pa vane, Op. 50. The Requiem is taken on with fervour, in a powe rful and e x t rove rted way that makes no apologies.

The work of the choir and the orchestra is truly admirable for its energy and commitment, giv ing the work grandeur.

Unfortunately, the soloists are lacking in personality and their shapeless performance is below the mark. Perfection is decidedly not of this world! (Chandos CHSA 5019 * S ACD Hy b ri d e) Sh a k e s p e a re is without a doubt one of the authors whose brilliant and eloquent word s have most often inspired composers.

Although British composers lead the pack, they are not the only ones! Under the

e vo c a t i ve title of Full Fathom Fi ve, Joël Suhubiette and Les Éléments Chamber Choir have put together a significant selection of Sh a k e s p e a re songs set in the 20th c e n t u ry, combining the average (T h ree Songs of St r a v i n s k y, Fancie by Bri t t e n) with the sublime (Cinq Chansons d’ Ariel by Ma rt i n, Three Sh a k e s p e a re Songs by VaughanWi l l i a m s and an astonishing When Forty Winters by Patrick Burgan, among others).

The French choir shows proof of solid experience which, although still lacking perhaps in depth and brilliance, shows pro o f of an eloquent palette of sound. The p e rformers do not set out to show off their talent in an ostentatious way, but rather a p p roach this varied and demanding re p e rt o i re with a type of self-assured humility that delivers the essential without tricks or concessions. This fore s h a d owsa good future for this group if the conductor and singers continue to work in this way.

(Ho rtus 028)

•

(Email: jm.marc h a l @ c c c w b.com) (Transl. Patricia Abbott, Canada)

Collector’s Corner

Book Reviews

Dies Irae: A Guide to Requiem Music Forw a rd by Jahja Ling, Associate Conductor, C l e veland Symphony Orc h e s t r a , S c a re c rowPress, 2003 ISBN 0-8108-4664-0 The Requiem Mass, or Mass for the Dead, is one of the oldest musical-poetic forms.

From the Middle Ages through the pre s e n t day, composers have been inspired by the text of the requiem, and have produced a significant and varied number of pieces that m a rk the transition between human life and death. Despite the rich history of re q u i e m composition, much of this music lies in obscurity. Our knowledge of Re q u i e m music is shaped largely by the performance and re c o rding of a handful of pieces; works

by Berlioz, Brahms, Britten, Fauré, Mo z a rt , and Ve rdi that are part of the standard c h o r a l - o rchestral re p e rt o i re. Ro b e rt Chase’s Dies Irae: A Guide to Requiem Music move s b e yond the standard fare, and brings a d i verse, profound and sizeable re p e rt o i re to light. His re s e a rch is invaluable to conductors who wish to discover and perform a little-known Requiem Mass or, simply, to expand their knowledge of this important form.

The heart of the text is devoted to an annotated list of some 250 Re q u i e m s o r g a n i zed alphabetically by the composer’s last name. Chase provides basic data – a vailable editions, duration, voicing, a formal outline and discography – brief descriptions of each piece, and biographical information of the composers. The 250 works are o r g a n i zed into fifteen chapters: chapters 1-8 p roceed chronologically from the Mi d d l e Ages through the 20th Century, while the remaining seven chapters survey seve r a l s u b - g e n res: the Requiem fragment, Dies Ir a e (chapter 9), German and Anglican Re q u i e m s

(chapters and 10 and 11), and, of special i n t e rest, settings from the By z a n t i n e - Gre e k , Russian Ort h o d ox, Serbian Ort h o d oxand Armenian Ort h o d ox traditions (chapters 1215). A list of 1700 more Requiems not discussed in the text is included as an appendix.

The introductory material in each of the first eight chapters traces the development of the Requiem Mass alongside of general tre n d s within music history. T h e re is not much new information here, but the information p resented helps to put many of the more o b s c u recomposers into historical context.

In some cases – most notably the Ba ro q u e period (chapter 5) and the Twe n t i e t h Century (chapter 8) – Chase further subdivides the material into smaller categories: early, middle and late Ba ro q u e ; and the liturgical, secular and war requiem in the chapter 8. The organizational scheme of these two larger chapters would benefit by the inclusion of subheadings within the text, otherwise, it seems as if the list inexplicably starts over at the beginning of the alphabet mid-chapter.

When addressing the purpose of the text in the introduction, Professor Chase states, “no attempt was made to determine the best or worst pieces, although some are obv i o u s l y superior to others” (xxvi). Taken at face value, this statement seems to be true - each Requiem is discussed in approximately the same amount of space - but the organization of the text re veals an inherent value system.

First, Professor Chase does not explain why some pieces are annotated and others are simply listed in the appendix; it certainly seems as if the 250 annotated works are more important than the 1700 appended works.

Secondly, the sheer number and scope of t wentieth century Requiems discussed weight the text heavily to contemporary works and imply a degree of pre f e rence. If, as

I guess, the availability of source material is part of the criteria for inclusion in the text, this should have been made clear in the introduction.

Iro n i c a l l y, Chase’s attempt not to outward l y place value on the individual pieces is my only small criticism of the text. I appre c i a t e the mention of several notew o rthy pieces in the introduction, and, given the choice, I will first investigate the pieces he has taken the time to annotate rather the ones listed at the end. Professor Chase has obviously done an immense amount of work researching, compiling, and organizing a large volume of material. His text is a significant and much needed contribution to Requiem literature that hopefully will inspire conductors to study and perform previously forgotten w o rks.

•

By D r. St e ven Grive s, director of choral activities at South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA (Email: sgrivesdma@yahoo.com)

ICB C o l l e c t o r’s Corner

53

54 Chor - · Vis ion ni In Must

formulated, which are also included in this compositions and much more . w o rk. The theses deal with the role of music The book provides food for thought for all and singing in the life of people and are those concerned with choral music and based on the fundamental idea that singing is choral life. an indissociable element of the ve ry essence It also includes – as an annex – a reprint of the talks of the conference held in Essen in of what makes up a human being. They 1928 which allows for an interesting define the meaning of the word “c h o i r”and comparison of the situation now and then. insist on the social and aesthetic enrichment b rought by singing together. Singing must be A register is also provided. learnt early in life, like thinking and

By Jutta Tagger speaking, and must be fostered and d e veloped during childhood and adolescence at home and in schools. They also insist upon its social, political and cultural context and function and the importance of Concert Tours p romoting choral art " Thl' Artist1 c Altl'rn.iti\ l ' " by developing new forms of musical performance and vocal expressions, public presentation etc., involving Florence/Rome, Italy eve rybody concerned.

Finally, a close collabJean Ashworth Bartle, Conductor/Clinician oration of all choral 2004, July 5 - 13 associations and instiJoan Gregoryk, Conductor/Clinician tutions concerned is 2005, July 4 - 12 indispensable.

The papers deal with historical, social, economic and p s ychological aspects Copenhagen / Odense /Sve ndborg / Roskilde , Denmark of choral singing, re s e a rch and statistics, Henry Leck, Conductor/Clinician re p e rt o i re, choral 2005, June 27 - July 4 competitions, * See details in the Festivals listing of this ICB. contemporary

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Choral Visions in Music Essener Thesen zum Chorsingen im 21.

Ja h r h u n d e rt Hrsg. Arbeitsgemeinschaft De u t s c h e r Chorverbände, B ä re n re i t e r, Fe b ru a ry 2004 ISBN 3-7618-1678-2 / WG 15920 This book (in German) contains the papers p resented during a symposium held in September 2002 in Essen, Ge r m a n y, on the occasion of the 50th annive r s a ry of the Wo rking Group of German Choral Associations (ADC – Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Chorverbände – www. a d c - c h o rverbaende.de).

It was the first such conference held since 1928, and at its conclusion, ten theses on choral singing in the 21st century we re

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Repertoire

Repertoire Panorama of Peruvian Choral Music LuĂ­s Craff-Zevallos

Panorama of Peruvian Choral Music Luís Craff-Zevallos Choir conductor, arranger and composer

Peru is a country which dances.

It sings little but dances a lot. Its artistic culture is the result of a mix between native Incan and Pre - Incan culture, Spanish culture brought by the c o n q u i s t a d o re s (those who came from Spain), and African culture brought by s l a ves. The musical result of this mix re veals itself in its dance. Practically all Pe ru v i a n traditional music is meant for dance. For this reason it has not been possible to d e velop a lasting choral tradition.

Neve rtheless, there have been moments in time when interesting choral compositions h a ve been created. During colonial times and with the aim of evangelising, the important churches retained chapel choirs composed of native, Spanish, Creole and m i xed-race musicians. At the beginning, the choir-masters we re mostly Spanish, but with time this role was given over to creoles and m i xed-race candidates. They left an important legacy of works, in which they used native or inter-racial motifs, using a European musical style. Composers such as Juan Pérez Bocanegra (“Hanac Pachap”, choral hymn in Quechuan language which was the first score printed in America), Tomás de To r rejón y Ve l a zco, José de Oregón y Aparicio, Juan de Araujo, Gu t i e r re Fernández de Hidalgo, Cristobal de Belzayaga, José Díaz, Diego Do m í n g u ez, Tomás de He r rera, Ignacio Quispe, Antonio Durán de la Mota, Pe d ro Montes de Oca y Grimaldo, … among others, are those who count among the musical creators of this period.

As an example of this period we could take the villancico of Juan de Araujo entitled “Los Negritos, a la Natividad del Señor“ (Los coflades de la estleya) – “The “Little Ne g ro e s” at the Nativity of Our Lord” (The fellow s h i p of the star). The author imitated in a ve ry personal way the manner of speaking of the black slaves, and inserting it into this work for two solo sopranos and four-voice choir, with a continual accompaniment, obtaining a result of freshness which is quite singular, mid-way between popular and ecclesiastical modes. Unfortunately the works of this period we re not published, or if they we re, in very low numbers, and for this reason are h a rd to find. This would howe ver be a tre a s u rewhich any choir conductor would a p p reciate.

In order to access these compositions, one has to go to the arc h i ves of the National Conserva t o ry of Pe ru, in Lima, finding such musicians as Oswaldo Kuan, who directs the National Children’s Choir, and who has i n t e r p reted many of these works with his choir.

At present the publishing house, GCC of Argentina - connected with the name of Néstor Andrenacci - is publishing colonial works from an arc h i ve found in Chiquitos, w h e re the compiled works of Pe ru can be found. During the Republican era there we re attempts to achieve cultured music which was in essence Peruvian, but from the 20th century have come works fro m composers of notable training, and who p roduced works with a marked national trait.

T h e re are choral works based on native or mixed-race poems, in a language peculiar to Peru. We can find José María Valle Riestra,

Re n zo Bracesco, Ro b e rto Carpio, Carlos Sánchez Málaga, Rodolfo Ho l z m a n n , Enrique Iturriaga, Celso Garrido Lecca, Armando Gu e vara Ochoa, Francisco Pulgar Vidal, Edgar Va l c a rcel, Walter Casas, Se i j i Asato, Alejandro Núñez Allauca, Au re l i o Tello, among others. A very interesting piece is “Las Cu m b re s” (The Su m m i t s) by En r i q u e Iturriaga, with words by Sebastián Salazar Bondy. It is basically an atonal work but which uses some motifs reminiscent of native songs, and from Andalusian Arabic. It does not have a time signature. The different bars vary between 3/4 and 2/4, and later 3/8 only to change to 2/4, and so on, following the inflections of the recited text. It makes considerable demands on any choir, for eve n apart from the problems of tuning, rhythm and time changes, it re q u i res a sound which is capable of assuming effectively the d i f f e rent dynamic changes. On the other hand, it has a pleasantly dramatic effect which compensates for the difficulties e n c o u n t e red in its preparation. Iturriaga surpasses himself in this work, from singular recourses in harmony and counter-point, in which he shows great skilfulness.

Unfortunately, as in the case of all the Pe ruvian compositions, it is not known to have been printed and the author needs to be contacted in order to obtain a written copy.

The author in this case can be contacted as Professor of Harmony in the Na t i o n a l Conservatory at Lima. The postal address is: Conservatorio Nacional de Música, Jr. Carabaya 421-429, Lima 1, Peru.

ICB Re p e rt o i re

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58

The e-mail address of the Conserva t o ry's director, Ms. Lydia Hung Wong, is: cnmdg@terra.com.pe Of important note in the production of Peruvian choral music are the arrangements for choir of popular songs. As previously noted, Pe ru is a country of dance, and choirs - most especially those choirs formed of amateurs - are ve ry fond of singing their traditional songs.

Some of the afore-mentioned composers have made arrangements of some of these songs, and in this way a school of

arrangements for choirs has developed, trying all the while to retain the traditional character of the dances.

For all this, it is the choir conductors who do this work, being among the most known the f o l l owing: Rosa Me rcedes Ayarza de Morales, Rosa Alarco, Christian Ma n t i l l a , Antonio Ib á ñ ez, Be r n a rdo Ga rcía, Os c a r Vadillo, Alejandro Ko s s e l e f f, Arndt vo n Gabel, Rubén Ma yer, Raúl Ramos, Ma n u e l C a s t ro, Manuel Cruz, Carlos Rivera, Jorge Be r m ú d ez, Ricardo Ey z a g u i r re,Abel Ro z a s , and I myself, in my nearly forty years as

conductor, have made some forty arrangements of traditional Pe ruvian tunes and also from other Latin-American countries. Of special interest is the work of Rosa Alarco which was published in 2000 by the Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Perú, (ISBN 9972-613-03-8). The album has 14 arrangements for children's choirs and 25 for m i xed choirs.

In all this re p e rtory there are intere s t i n g themes in musical aspects, as in the case of " El Alcatraz", in which I included within an a cappella piece, a dance which the Ne g roes used to perform in the last days of the period of slave ry, or the Liman sailors' song "Lampára maravillosa" (Ma rvellous Lamp) by Rosa Alarco (to my mind the best choral version of this type of song). As in previous cases, the music scores in their most part, are to be found in choirs as copies of the original manuscripts, and yet among these works can be found some true musical jewels, which would delight any choir conductor.

•

Luís Cr a f f - Ze va l l o s, choir conductor, arranger and composer, born 1941, studied in the National Conservatory of Peru, and studied under various maestros in Peru as well as in Venezuela and Sweden. He has conducted d i f f e rent university choirs, especially in the University of Saint Ma rk in Lima, for 12 years. He also conducted the Choir of the National Institute of Cu l t u re for 3 years. He was a teacher at the Un i versity of Saint Ma rk , and in the Conserva t o ry in the courses on Choir Conducting. He participated in the i n t e rnational festivals in Chile, Ec u a d o r, and Venezuela. As an ethno-musicologist, he has w o rked on various traditional pieces, some of which he has arranged for choirs. At present he is working in Ge rm a n y, where he conducts five d i f f e rent choirs. (Email: luis.craff@gmx.de) (Transl: Eamonn O’Ma h o n y, Ireland)

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Composersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Corner

Composersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Corner Interview with Ernani Aguiar Kathy Romey

The Choral Music of Ned Rorem: A Belated 80th Birthday Tribute David Wo rd s w o rt h

Interview with Ernani Aguiar Held during the 6th World Symposium on Choral Music, 3-10 August 2002 Conducted by Kathy Romey

Kathy Ro m ey (KR): Señor Ag u i a r, would yo u discuss your work as a composer prior to the Wo rld Choral Symposium commission? What are some of your most significant choral work s ?

Ernani Aguiar (EA): I write for all different types of groups. I was a choir director from age 17 to 39. Then I retired eleven years ago f rom three things: Being a violinist, a choir dire c t o r, and a Bohemian! I began to write for choirs thirty years ago…for my choirs, and later for others. I began by writing in an ava n t - g a rd e fashion, and later I went backwards. The music for the Symposium, for example, is practically tonal. I don’t write any atonal music… I write so that the musicians will e n j oy playing and the public will enjoy listening. I want to create communication.

KR: Are you currently working on any commissions?

EA: One. It is a symphonietta for symphony o rchestra, which the Tuttlingen Orchestra is going to pre m i e re in Germany on Fe b ru a ry 1st [2003]. The symphonietta is called C a r n i val. It is four movements, with four different dances from the Brazilian carniva l a : Samba, from the old Samba, Frebo, which is f rom carnival in the northeast, Ma rc h i a , which is a slow carnival and finally, from the Samba school, the modern-day Samba. It’s fast and upbeat! …and they are going to ask the public to participate, as we l l !

KR: So in choral writing, the element of text is what differentiates it from instrumental writ ing?

EA: For all vocal composition, the text is what allows for something to be produced.

But there is something that is also very important. Music, just music, doesn’t say anything. We feel something because we have a Western culture. Western music doesn’t say anything to an Eskimo. We feel the music, instrumental music, according to our culture. For example, that the major mode is happy and the minor mode is sad.

This is something that has been created. We might feel that from the west. So when we have text, the text allows for many things.

What I seek for, like in olden times with religious music, is to ascend to the heave n s or to go down into hell – these are just re p resentations, and I make that re p resentation. The composition is based in two things: One, inspiration, and two, technique. We cannot make music just with

61

technique, nor can we do it just by i n t e r p retation. We need to bring the two together. Inspiration for me comes from the Holy Spirit, and one finds the technique.

Then we have music!

KR: S o, is there any difference between yo u r writing for voices versus instrumentalists?

EA: No. There isn’t a difference. The text is what allows me to create a vocal piece…But t h e re is a compositional problem here that I am going to explain. I have a friend who is a poet. And I know the musicality of his verses. When I find some words that are not in harmony with what is written, I ask him to change some of the words. Sometimes I look at a text and the music comes right away to my head. But I learned the lesson of the composer Verdi. When I don’t find this music quickly, I am going to read and re a d and read until I create a melody within that text.

Photo: Kathy Romey

KR: It sounds wonderful! What is it about the choral medium that appeals to you in compari son to writing for orc h e s t ra?

EA: All composing is about work. If I am commissioned to create a piece for a symphony orchestra or a choir, it is always the [same] work. There is not a difference.

I like to compose!

ICB Composers’ Corner

62

harmony – sometimes the melody wins out and sometimes it is harmony. But for example, with choir, I want all of the vo i c e s to sing! I don’t want a singer and accompaniment. I want a melody that flow s .

And so I make use of counterpoint.

Photo: Kathy Romey

KR: How do others describe your music? For example, your Psalm 150 is a ve ry dramatic piece.

EA: Psalm 150. You think it is dramatic? It is not dramatic. I will talk about Psalm 150.

When I finished my studies in Italy, I we n t back to Brazil, and like eve rything it was a great happiness. Even today I feel practically like I am Italian. I wanted to write some music to thank God and Psalm 150 is a psalm of thanksgiving to God. So, it was something that was ve ry clear. December 4, 1975, in the morning, I went to the piano, and I wrote it straight away. I found the manuscript months later.

KR: So the melody emerges from the text?

EA: Yes. KR: As you work with the text, do you find a compositional element which dominates yo u r

music? Some composers have said that they think more in terms of counterpoint, and others m o re in terms of harmonic language. Is melody the driving force for yo u ?

EA: No. It is not just melody. Counterpoint,

KR: What factors impacted the writing of Psalm 74?

EA: My life is filled with ve ry large coincidences. I got home at 10:30 at night on September 10, 2002 and I found an envelope there – the letter from the Si x t h Symposium for the commission of the music. I thought, “Oh, great! I’m going to do it!” And I went to sleep. In the morning, I went out to drink coffee at a bar, and a man came up and said, “There was a plane that hit the Em p i re State Building.” “A plane in the Em p i re State? That is impossible.” Then I went out and was walking along the s i d ewalk. I started seeing that people we re stopping and looking at the television sets.

For me, it was an accident of a plane crashing into the Em p i re State Building.

Larger and larger groups of people we re stopping now to look at the television sets. I went home and turned on the television set.

KR: There was no contact then, from the point that you wrote the piece with the choir that per f o rmed the piece?

EA: No, I just wrote it dire c t l y. I wanted to write this psalm not for this choir but for all choirs… I want to do a version in Latin, in Po rtuguese, in Spanish, so that others can sing it. But technically, I wasn’t worried about that. I just let the inspiration come, and wrote, following the principle that all voices would be singing.

KR: Did you make any changes to the score once the choir began rehearsing it?

EA: Yes, prosody – the science of putting the text into music – T h e re was some problems with text underlay. Aside from that, no changes.

KR: Do you have a clear vision for how yo u would like this work to be interpreted?

EA: No, I don’t like to direct my pieces because sometimes those who are actually i n t e r p reting the music find things in the music that I was not aware of. So, whether or not I like the interpretation, I don’t like imposing on the person who is interpreting the music, saying, “No, it’s a little bit like this or like that…” Maybe, I will say, “You

KR: S o, in eve ry perf o rmance of your work, yo u may discover new things and ideas in the music yourself?

EA: Yes, that’s true.

KR: This is wonderful and as music should be.

Because then it belongs to the community!

EA: Yes. The music is for the community.

When we finish a score, the music is no longer ours.

KR: Do you have any other insights about your music, or music in general, that you would like to share? Pe rhaps the role of music in our live s , or music and culture, and what you wish to do as your part in that.

EA: The future belongs to God. I cannot say anything else.

In July 2003, long-time friend Gerson Valle w rote about Ernani Aguiar’s work for Poiésis: “… I always find Ernani buying and studying s c o res by the most diverse composers of all times, not only for his perf o rmances as a conductor, but foremost because of his inner need to study and to live music continuously. This makes him one of the better-pre p a red Brazilian musicians nowadays, when the majority of composers stagnate within the artificial principles of compositions that re p roduce in a cere b ral manner certain tendencies found in the 20th century. Ag u i a r’s experience is a direct one, through the scores he has studied and the many orchestras he has conducted.”

Ernani Aguiar ( b. 1949) is of the most famous of Brazil's composers, and a winner of the Sharp, APCA and Açorianos Pr i zes. His work s for choirs and orchestra have been sung, perf o rmed and broadcast all over the worl d .

Mr. Aguiar was a scholarship winner to the Argentine Mo z a rteum and studied with n u m e rous eminent Brazilian musicians as we l l as at the "Cherubini" Conserva t o ry in Fl o rence, It a l y. He is currently a professor of music at the Un i versity of Rio de Ja n e i ro, a f e l l owof the Villa Lobos Institute and a member of the Academia Brasiliera de Musica.

The "Salmo 150" (published by Ea rthsongs) has been perf o rmed by choruses across the Americas. The work re p resents Aguiar's musical style, relying heavily on rhythm and rapid articulations. Other works include the opera O Menino Ma l u q u i n h o, and Cantos Sa c ros para Orixás for choir and orc h e s t ra.

(Email: ahaguiar@zaz.com.br) (Web: www.aesa.com.br/solistaslondrina/ compositores/aguiar.php) Kathy Saltzman Ro m ey is an assistant p rofessor of choral music at the Un i versity of Minnesota and the artistic director of the Minnesota Chorale. This interview is an e xcerpt from a longer discussion which was part of a re s e a rch project entitled “From Page to Stage – The Documentation of Ten Wo rl d Pre m i e res”. The re s e a rch focused on the cre a t i ve p rocess of ten internationally re n owned composers who we re commissioned to write new works as part of the 2002 Sixth Wo rl d Symposiums offerings. Chosen for their unique styles, the featured composers came from Latin America, Canada and the USA and we re in residence for the pre m i e re performances, p resented by some of the worl d’s finest choirs (Email: romey001@umn.edu)

ICB Composers’ Corner

Photo: Kathy Romey

• KR: S o, this was an outpouring of the soul.

EA: Yes, and the psalmist had cried out first.

might want to look at this piece just a little m o re…” But other than that, I would not.

•

Then I felt the complete impact. This is a huge tragedy! This is madness! I was left feeling ve ry poorly. And I saw from the t owers these little things that we re falling, and it was people. I was left almost completely breathless….

I know very well the psalms of the Bi b l e because I pray eve ry day using the psalms. I understand the meanings of the psalms of the old Hebraic tradition. And I found in Psalm 74 the exact text for the moment.

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Composers’ Corner

The Choral Music of Ned Rorem A belated 80th birthday tribute Musical Director, Addison Singers

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Composer, pianist, teacher, writer, diarist, commentator on all things musical and unmusical, Ned Ro rem the man is an extraordinary collection of contradictions.

Ned Ro rem the composer, thankfully for the purposes of this article, is easier to define candid, honest, striving for clarity of thought and gesture and following his own path re g a rdless of what others are saying or doing a round him. Ro rem is of course unique in another way too - he has written almost t wenty books including volumes of 'tell-all' diaries, that in some quarters have become better known or shall we say more infamous than his music. His thoughts on music and the arts in general can be inspiring and illuminating, narrow-minded and infuriating, acerbic and entertaining - but w h a t e ver he writes, notes or letters, song or symphony, personal post-card or pages of criticism, the imprint of Ro rem's personality shines through in a way that is all too rare in music today.

“I conceive all music......vo c a l l y. W h a t e ver my music is for, tuba, tambourine, tubular bells it is always the singer within me crying to get o u t”.

For a composer who cares so much about w o rds, it is hardly surprising that music for the voice should play such an important part in his output. With a catalogue of something like 300 Songs, small wonder that Ro rem has been called the greatest living composer of art song. His choral music is perhaps less k n own, which is a pity for music that is so d i rect in utterance for both singers and audience. Ro rem communicates with his listener and his performer as an equal rather than setting himself in an ivory tower and looking down with the contempt or arrogance of some of his colleagues - 'The Se r i a l Killers' as he calls them! That's not to say that all of Ro rem's work is easy to perform.

As a professional composer and one who

wants to get his music heard, if someone asks him for a re l a t i vely straightforw a rd anthem for a small church choir result might be Christ is Made the Sure Fo u n d a t i o n; on the other hand with the virtuosity of the BBC Singers on hand, the result might be the unaccompanied T h ree Poems of Ba u d e l a i re each in its own way quintessentially Ne d Ro rem, but each cunningly crafted in a way that makes them equally rew a rding, uplifting and in some cases, shock/horror, fun too.

Looking through Ro rem's catalogue one might be taken by the number of settings of religious texts or at least texts with re l i g i o u s connotations. Ask the composer about his religious beliefs and one would get a fairly d i rect answe r, along the lines of “I don't have any”. But there again Vaughan Wil l i a m s , who wrote a huge collection of music for the c h u rch was 'cheerfully' agnostic all of his life and like Ro rem, in some works seem to transcend the conventions of religion and carry the listener (again believer or not) to some higher spiritual place. Ro rem's setting of Psalm 84: How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Pl a c e (most famously set by Brahms of course, himself a far from conve n t i o n a l believer) is a good example of this. In spacious 6/4 and 9/4 metres, the lines characteristically flow, rise and fall, climaxe s a re judiciously placed and the accompaniment is helpful, but neve r intru s i ve. Two real gems of this genre are the Blake setting Little Lamb, Who Made Thee? which seems to explore both the innocence and the darker side of Blake's text in its short duration and the wonderful T h ree Motets on Poems of Ge rald Manley Hopkins for chorus and organ. He re the lines are occasionally slightly more angular and wide ranging (though still eminently singable) - the anguish of the lines ‘Not out of hope of h e a ven for me/Nor fearing not to love and b e / Inthe everlasting burning’ contrasting

Photo: D. Wordsworth

David Wordsworth

with the calm unisons of ‘Thou, thou, my Jesus, after me didst reach thine arms out dying’. After the hymn-like second Mo t e t , the third, Thee Go d . . ., is Ro rem at his most light-footed and mercurial. The last piece also highlights two notable Ro rem stylistic finger-prints – the determination never to repeat a word not repeated by the poet and the love of melismatic writing for key word s .

Aside from settings of the Canticles, the Te De u m, the Missa Brevis, those searching for a n ew angle to well worn texts would do we l l to seek out Psalm 146: Praise the Lord, O My S o u l, L ove Divine, All Loves Exc e l l i n g, Se ve n Motets for the Church Year and two tuneful and approachable Christmas works - Miracles of Christmas and Praises for the Na t i v i t y.

Many American composers seem to not wander much further than Emily Di c k i n s o n or e.e.cummings for their secular texts.

Thankfully, Ro rem throws his net rather wider. Two of his earliest works set poems by Sappho (FourMa d r i g a l s for mixe d unaccompanied choir), whilst Fi ve Pra yers for the Young for unaccompanied SSA sets Lew i s C a r roll, Sh e l l e y, and Coleridge. These pieces need a choir that can be confident in holding onto their re s p e c t i ve lines without any s u p p o rt, whilst the much more s t r a i g h t f o rw a rd Gi ve All to Love (an Em e r s o n setting from 1980) has women and men singing in unison against an ostinato piano accompaniment. Particular favourites of the present writer are We Are the Music Ma k e r s ( O ' Shaughnessy's poem set on a large scale

by Elgar of course and also Kodály) Ro rem's setting is as about far re m oved from Elgarian splendour as one can imagine - the piano playing haunting flute arabesques whilst the choir 'dream their dreams'. In Time of Pestilence is a set of six short madrigals on verses of the English poet Thomas Nash (1593), frequently re f l e c t i n g the English madrigalists in their rhythmic

flexibility and a six-minute piece that left an audience at one of Ro rem's 80th birthday concerts that this writer attended in New Yo rk, stunned into silence. For the unusual combination of male voices and piano duet, it sets the first of Eighteen Elegies for Ro g ' by Paul Mo n e t t e (the poet explained: “Ro g e r Ho rowitz, my beloved friend, died on 22nd October 1986, after nineteen months of fighting the ravages of AIDS. He was 44 years old and the happiest man I eve r knew”); what could have been a mawkish and sentimental piece turns out to be quite ove rwhelming - the composers mark i n g 'with passionate melancholy' seems as apt as any other description.

Finally, those with larger forces at their disposal might care to look at the smaller collection of pieces that Ro rem has written for chorus with orchestral accompaniment.

Finally, those with slightly larger forces at their disposal might care to look at the smaller collection of pieces that Ro rem has written for chorus with orchestral accompaniment. The two largest works have been rarely performed, even in the US - both last around 45 minutes - Go o d bye My Fancy sets Walt Whitman for alto, baritone soloists and large orchestra, whilst An Am e r i c a n Oratorio for tenor, chorus and large orchestra delves into an extraord i n a ry collection of texts, themselves with American connotations - Lazarus, Poe, Longf e l l ow, Twain, Lancer, Melville, Crane and Whitman – quite a collection, even by Ro rem standards. The choral writing is demanding at times and a good professional orchestra needs to be on hand, but for those large choirs eager for a change from The Dream of Gerontius a n d War Re q u i e m t h e re would be a fascinating challenge. On a slightly smaller scale, mention should be made of A Poet's Re q u i e m for soprano, chorus and orchestra and the

very beautiful Little Pra ye r s which sets beautiful poems by Ro rem's friend Paul Goodman, one of the most underrated of all American writers - Ro rem later extracted three tiny movements for unaccompanied choir and called them T h ree Pra ye r s.

In an article of this brevity it is obv i o u s l y only possible to scratch the surface of such a large and varied output, and as an astonishingly youthful 80 year old, Ro rem is still actively composing, even starting on a full-length opera. There will be no doubt m o re choral pieces to add to his distinguished catalogue in the next few years, but

as this happens, it would be great to see the existing pieces become part of the re p e rt o i re as they surely deserve .

Almost all of Ned Ro rem's music is published by Boosey & Ha w k e s .

London Feb 2004

•

David Wo rd s w o rt h is Head of Promotion at Oxford Un i versity Press, UK. He has been Musical Director of the Addison Singers since 1996 and has recently conducted in France, Italy and Ea s t e rn Eu rope as well as in many parts of the UK. (Email: david.wordsworth@OUP.com)

ICB Composers’ Corner

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Events

Events Calendar of Events Jean-Claude Wilkens

We are pleased to provide this list as a service to our members. It is based on the best information available to us. However, we advise you to check the details with the organizers of the individual event you may be interested in.

Please submit event information for publication to: IFCM International Office Jean-Claude Wilkens, Secretary General Centro Internacional de la Música de la UNESCO Villa Gadea, E-03590 Altea, Spain Tel: +34 96 584 5213 Fax: +34 96 688 2195 Email: jcwilkens@ifcm.net International Choir Festival "Cantemus", Zrenjanin, Serbia, Yugoslavia, May 2004. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: International Music Center, Rade Koncara 24/23, YU-23000 Zrenjanin, Serbia, Yugoslavia. Tel: +381-2363-993, Fax: +381-2363-993, Email: cantemus2004@yahoo.com 25th International Children's Choir Festival, Halle, Germany, 6-9 May 2004. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend, Adersheimer Straße 60, D-38304 Wolfenbüttel, Germany. Tel: +49-5331-46016, Fax: +49-5331-43723, Email: AMJMusikinderJugend@t-online.de Website: www.amj.allmusic.de 9th International Festival of Contemporary Music with Z. Lukas prize "The Spring is Opening", Ostrava, Czech Republic, 7-9 May 2004. Competition with Z. Lukás prize, concerts, workshops, meetings. Contact: IPOSARTAMA, Dr. Jaroslava Modrochova, Blanická 4, POBox 12, 120 21 Prague 4, Czech Republic.

Tel: +420-221-507961, Fax: +420-221-507955, Email: artama@ipos-mk.cz Website: www.ipos-mk.cz/artama International Choral Festival "Canticum Novum", Caracas, Venezuela, 11-25 May 2004. Choral concerts and workshops for equal voices, children's, youth and adults choirs. Contact: Gaudeamus-Sociedad Venezolana De Canto, Guntars Gedulis, Apartado 17421, 1015A Caracas, Venezuela. Tel: +58-212-5752874, Fax: +58-212-5741228, Email: gaudeamus@etheron.net Venezia in Musica 2004, Venice, Jesolo, Italy, 15-19 May 2004. Contact: Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.musica-mundi.com European Festival of Youth Choirs Basel, Switzerland, 18-23 May 2004. For invited youth and children's choirs (age-limit 25). Non-competitive event. 12 choirs from European countries and 6 from Switzerland. Workshops and choral concerts in Basel and its region. Contact: Europäisches Jugendchor Festival Basel, Kathrin Renggli, Auf der Wacht 6B, 4104 Oberwil, Switzerland.

Tel: +41-61-4012100, Fax: +41-61-4012104, Email: k.renggli@ejcf.ch - Website: www.ejcf.ch 12th Vaasa International Choir Festival, Finland, 19-23 May 2004. International large-scale choral music happening with more than a hundred concerts at churches, concert halls, schools, restaurants, etc.... Contact: Vaasa Choir Festival, Box 3, FI-65101 Vaasa, Finland.

Tel: +358-6-3253969, Fax: +358-6-3253761, Email: martti.tiainen@pp.qnet.fi or erkki.mendelin@vaasa.fi Website: www.vaasa.fi/choirfestival 1st Swedish International Choir Competition, Helsingborg, Sweden, 19-23 May 2004. In cooperation with the Swedish National Choir Competition. Contact: Kör Centrum (Swedish Choral Center), Fred Sjöberg, Nybrokajen 11, SE-11148 Stockholm, Sweden.

Tel.: +46-8-4071679, Fax: +46-8-4071727, Email: korcentrum@rikskonserter.se - Website: www.srk.se Contact: Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.musica-mundi.com

Podium 2004 National Conference "Sonora Borealis", Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 20-23 May 2004.

Contact: Association of Canadian Choral Conductors, Patricia Abbott, 2550 Baldwin, Montreal, Quebec, H1L 5B2, Canada. Tel: +1-514-3514865, Fax: +1-514-3512702, Email: accc@ca.inter.net Website: www.choralcanada.org Canadian Tulip Music Festival, Ottawa, Canada, 21-24 May 2004. For international choirs, bands & orchestras.

Contact: Canadian Tulip Music Festival, Arts Bureau for the Continents, 350 Sparks Street, Suite 207A, Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8, Canada. Tel: +1-613-2343360, Fax: +1-613-2362636, Email: abc.@abc.ca Website: http://www.abc.ca 5th Pärnu International Choir Festival, Estonia, 26-30 May 2004. Festival, concerts and folk song competition for mixed, chamber, male and female choirs. Contact: Estonian Choral Society, Suur-Karja 23, EE-10148 Tallinn, Estonia. Tel: +372-6441849, Fax: +372-6449147, Email: kooriyhing@kul.ee Website: www.kooriyhing.ee 33rd Florilège Vocal de Tours, France, 28-31 May 2004.

International Choral Singing Competition limited to ensembles from 12 to 40 amateur choristers. Three rounds: qualifications (a cappella), final round (including one piece with piano) and closing gala. Four categories: mixed choirs, male or female voice choirs, mixed vocal ensembles, free program/and a special children's choir international competition. Apply before: 30 Nov 2003.

Contact: Florilège Vocal de Tours, B.P. 1452, F-37014 Tours CEDEX 1, France. Tel: +33-2-47216526, Fax: +33-2-47216771, Email: florilege.vocal@free.fr Website: www.florilegevocal.com 11th International Choir Festival "Orlando di Lasso", Marehe Region: Recanati, Loreto, Tolentino, Italy, 28-31 May 2004. For male, female and mixed choirs, vocal groups with max. 12 singers, folksong choirs, youth and children's choirs. Repertoire of sacred and secular a cappella music, with one piece of folk music from the choir's country of origin. Apply before: 15 March 2004. Contact: Associazione Internazionale Amici della Musica Sacra, Via Paolo VI, 29, I-00193 Rome, Italy.

Tel: +39-06-68805816, Fax: +39-0668-210889, Email: info-concorsi@aiams.it Website: www.amicimusicasacra.com Musica Sacra International Festival, Marktoberdorf, Germany, 28 May-2 June 2004. Choirs, instrumental and dance ensembles give a glimpse into the fascinating musical wealth of different religions. Concerts, lectures and workshops. Contact: Musica Sacra International, Kurfürstenstraße 19, Bayerische Musikakademie, D-87616 Marktoberdorf, Germany. Tel: +49-8342-961856, Fax: +49-8342-40370, Email: info@musica-sacra-international.de Website: www.modmusik.de 10th Niagara International Music Festival, Niagara region, Canada, 6-10 June 2004. Sightseeing at Niagara Falls and working in massed numbers with guest conductor Bob Chilcott, giving their own concerts in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Grimsby. Contact: Niagara International Music Festival, Arts Bureau for the Continents, 350 Sparks Street, Suite 207A, Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8, Canada. Tel: +1-613-2343360, Fax: +1-613-2362636, Email: abc@abc.ca Website: http://www.abc.ca 32nd International Festival of Songs, Olomouc, Czech Republic, 9-13 June 2004. For choirs in all categories from all around the world. Apply before: 31 Jan 2004.

Contact: Festa Musicale, Slovenská 5, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-585-237373, Fax: +420-585-237373, Email: festamusicale@atlas.cz Website: www.festamusicale.cz 13th International Choral Festival "La Fabbrica del Canto", Legnano, Italy, 10-12 June 2004. Contact: Associazione Musicale Jubilate, C.P. 160, I-20025 Legnano (MI), Italy. Tel: +39-0331-594504, Fax: +39-0331-597433, Email: amj@jubilate.it Website: www.jubilate.it

Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz 2nd International "Midsummer Festival" for Choirs, Stockholm, Sweden, 17-20 June 2004. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: MSW Festivals, c/o TM IncoTavel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4270740, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com 17th International Choir Festival of Youth and Children's Choirs, Vranou nad Toplou, Slovak Republic, 17-20 June 2004. Non-competitive festival for all kinds of choirs. Concerts, trips, seminars, discussion evenings, workshops. Contact: Vilma Krausperova, M.R. Stefanika 875, SK-09301 Vranou nadTopolou, Slovak Republic.

Tel: +421-57-4422849, Fax: +421-57-4422849, Email: vilma.krauspe@gmx.net or vilma.krauspe@stonline.sk - Website: www.stonline.sk/vilma-krauspe Cantate "Småland", Växjö, Sweden, 19-22 June 2004.

Non competitive festival and meeting between Swedish and foreign choirs. Contact: Travel Ring International, Allée Scheffer 21-25, 2520 Luxembourg, Luxemburg.

Tel: +352-22998420, Fax: +352-241616, Email: musicandfriends@tri.lu Website: www.musicandfriends.net 7th Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival, Alto Adige, Italy, 23-27 June 2004. Sections: sacred-religious repertoire, cultivated secular polyphony, folk choral music, spiritual, original choral arrangements. Contact: c/o Associazione Culturale Flaminia 2000, Via E. Albertario, 62, 00167 Roma, Italy. Tel: +39-06-53276119, Fax: +39-06-53276119, Email: info@festivalpusteria.org Website: www.festivalpusteria.org 7st International Festival "Coros D'Canto", Isla de Margarita, Venezuela, 23-27 June 2004. Apply before: 15 Feb 2004. For mixed and equal voices. Contact: Organisation "Fundación D'Canto y Federación Venezolana de Coros N.E.", , Isla de Margarita, Venezuela, Email: directordcanto@hotmail.com 1st International Dvorák Choral and Oratorio Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, 24 June-4 July 2004. For mixed, female, male and children's choirs. A rich frame programme and performance opportunities. Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz 35th Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene, Oregon, USA, 25 June-11 July 2004. Helmuth Rilling, Artistic Director and Conductor. Festival concerts include: Bach St. Matthew Passion and Mass in B Minor; Mozart Requiem; Mendelssohn Psalm 42 and oratorio Elijah. Master Class in Conducting, taught by Rilling, will study and perform Mozart Requiem and three Bach Cantatas: BWV 105, 140 and 147. In residence: Gächinger Kantorei. (Stuttgart, Germany) Guest conductors: Krzysztof Penderecki and Jeffrey Kahane. Contact: Royce Saltzman, 1257 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. Tel: +1-800-457-1486, Fax: +1-541-3465669, Email: saltzman@oregon.uoregon.edu Website: www.oregonbachfestival.com 47th International Festival of Choral Art Jihlava with 7th International Composers' Competition "Jihlava 2004", Jihlava, Czech Republic, 25-27 June 2004. Int'l composers' competition, concerts, workshops, meetings.

Contact: IPOS-ARTAMA, Dr. Jaroslava Modrochova, Blanická 4, POBox 12, 120 21 Prague 4, Czech Republic.

Tel: +420-221-507961, Fax: +420-221-507955, Email: artama@ipos-mk.cz Website: www.ipos-mk.cz/artama Europa Cantat Int'l Singing Week, Tartu and Tallinn, Estonia, 26 June-4 July 2004. For mixed choirs and individual singers. Apply before: 1 March 2004. Contact: Estonian Choral Society, Suur-Karja 23, 10148 Tallinn, Estonia. Tel: +372-6-441849, Fax: +372-6-449147, Email: kooriyhing@kul.ee - Website: www.kooriyhing.ee

11th "Musica Sacra Praga" International Choir and Oratorio Festival of Sacred Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 11 June-11 July 2004. Open for all categories.

ICB Events

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Europa Cantat Int'l Study Tour for Choral Conductors to Estonia, Tartu, Tallinn, Estonia, 26 June-4 July 2004.

Ateliers, concerts and choir rehearsals, discussions, meetings with conductors and Estonian composers, visit to the Estonian Choral Music Academy, etc... Apply before: 1 March 2004. Contact: Estonian Choral Society, SuurKarja 23, 10148 Tallinn, Estonia. Tel: +372-6-441849, Fax: +372-6-449147, Email: kooriyhing@kul.ee Website: www.kooriyhing.ee "Sing to the Lord" 2nd Multinational Choir, Prague, Czech Republic, 28 June-12 July 2004. For small groups and individual participants, members of church and community choirs, their families and friends.

Understanding language English. Pre-studied material: sacred compositions from Dvorák, Janácek and further Czech and world composers. Concerts and recording sessions in the Barock and Gothic churches in Prague and in various Czech locations. Musical director: P. Dent, Vancouver, Canada. Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic.

Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz - Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz

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18th International Festival of Academic Choirs "IFAS Pardubice" , Czech Republic, 30 June - 5 July 2004.

Competition for mixed, chamber, female choirs. Contact: FAS Univerzita Pardubice, Nám. Cs.Legií 565I, 532 10 Pardubice. Tel: +420 777 816 083, Fax: +420 466 614 162, Email: fas@kve.cz Website: www.ipos-mk.cz 22nd Int'l Choir Festival of Preveza, 10th Int'l Competition of Sacred Music, Preveza, Greece, 1-4 July 2004. For mixed, equal voices', children's, chamber vocal ensembles, mixed youth choirs & choirs of Byzantine chant. Repertory must include a compulsory piece, a piece composed before 1800, a piece composed during 1800 1950, a piece composed after 1950 & a folk song from the choir's country of origin. Apply before: 29 Febr 2004.

Contact: Choral Society "Armonia" of Prevesa, P. O. Box 139, GR-48 100 Preveza, Greece.

Tel: +30-6820-24915 / 29852, Fax: +30-6820-29852, Email: armonia4@otenet.gr Website: http://users.otenet.gr/~armonia4/ 6th International Choir Festival "Summer Songs", Sopron, Hungary, 1-4 July 2004. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: MSW Festivals c/o TM Inco Travel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4204796, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com 10th International Chamber Music Competition "C. A. Seghizzi", Gorizia, Italy, 2-4 July 2004. Contact: Associazione Corale Goriziana "CA Seghizzi", Casella postale 7, Via Vittorio Veneto 174, Palazzina C, I-34170 Gorizia, Italy. Tel: +39-0481-530288, Fax: +39-0481-536739, Email: c.aseghizzi@tiscalinet.it Website: www.seghizzi.it Berkshire Choral Festival, Sheffield, MA, USA, July and August 2004. Singing weeks with training classes, with various conductors and programme. Contact: Berkshire Choral Festival, 245 North Undermountain Road, Sheffield, MA 01257, USA. Tel: +1-413-2298526, Fax: +1-413-2290109, Email: bcf@choralfest.org Website: www.choralfest.org 38th International Choral Days, Barcelona, Spain, 5-11 July 2004. Singing week with different workshops.

Contact: Federació Catalana d'Entitats Corales, Via Laietana 54, 2ndo, Despatx 213, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain. Tel: +34-93-2680668, Fax: +34-93-3197436, Email: fcec@fcec.info - Website: www.fcec.info Tuscany International Children's Chorus Festival, Florence, Italy, 5-13 July 2004. Int'l children's choruses totalling 300-400 singers will join Jean Ashworth Bartle for daily rehearsals culminating in gala festival concert in Florence. Individual ensemble concerts in Florence and Tuscany. Includes two-days' post-festival extension to Rome and participation in mass at St. Peter's Basilica.

Contact: Musica Mundi Concert Tours, 101 First Street, Suite 454, Los Altos, CA 94022, USA. Tel: +1-650-949-1991, Fax: +1-650-949-1626, Email: tours@musicamundi.com Website: www.musicamundi.com

43rd International Competition of Choral Singing "C.A. Seghizzi", Gorizia, Italy, 5-11 July 2004. Categories: mixed, female and male choirs, vocal groups, folk music, light music and jazz. Contact: Associazione Corale Goriziana "CA Seghizzi", Casella postale 7, Via Vittorio Veneto 174, Palazzina C, I-34170 Gorizia, Italy.

Tel: +39-0481-530288, Fax: +39-0481-536739, Email: c.aseghizzi@tiscalinet.it - Website: www.seghizzi.it Pacific Rim Children's Chorus Festival, Honolulu, Hawaii, 6-14 July 2004. An adventure and exploration of distinctive music from countries around the Pacific Rim. Artistic Director: Henry Leck. For treble choirs only.

Participants will interactively explore Polynesian music, dance, instruments, language and story telling with native speakers and instructors. Contact: Wanda Gereben, Executive Director, 159 Laimi Road, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Tel: +1-808-5950233, Fax: +1-808-5955129, Email: info@PacRimFestival.org Website: www.PacRimFestival.org 11th International Choral Kathaumixw, Powell River, Canada, 6-10 July 2004. Join choirs from around the world in 20 concerts, seminars, common singing, social events and competitions on the shores of Canada's Pacific Coast. Guest artists and int'l jury. Apply before: 1 Nov 2003. Contact: Powell River Academy of Music, 7280 Kemano Street, Powell River, BC, V8A 1M2, Canada.

Tel: +1-604-4859633, Fax: +1-604-4852055, Email: info@kathaumixw.org Website: www.kathaumixw.org Idaho International Choral Festival, Pocatello, USA, 711 July 2004. The Festival encourages a diversity of high quality choirs from around the world to come together to share music with one another and with the community.

Contact: Arlo D. Luke, Co-Chair - Idaho International Choral Festival, PO Box 9854, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA. Tel: +1-208-2336005, Email: bettiemay@cableone.net Website: www.idahointerchoralfest.org 3rd Choir Olympics, Bremen and Bremerhaven, Germany, 8-18 July 2004. For all kinds of choirs from all around the world. Competition, encounter, friendship, concerts, choir festivals, lectures and workshops, discussions with composers and choral experts, gala concerts and exhibitions. Contact: Choir Olympics, c/o Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.choirolympics.com 5th International Choir Competition 2004, Miltenberg, Bavaria, Germany, 8-11 July 2004. Two categories: Symphony of Voices (choir compositions with one compulsory composition) and Folksongs,spirituals & jazz.

Apply before: Jan 31, 2004. Contact: Kulturreferat des Landkreises Miltenberg, Brückenstr. 2, 63897 Miltenberg, Germany. Tel: +49-9371-501503, Fax: +49-9371-50179503, Email: kultur@lra-mil.de Website: www.chorwettbewerb-miltenberg.de or www.vocalensemble-moemlingen.de 7th International Choirs Competition "Hora Cantavi", Suwalki, Poland, 8-11 July 2004. Competition for mixed, male and female choirs from the Baltic Sea countries: Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Poland. Contact: Regionalny Osrodek Kultury i Sztuki, ul. Noniewicza 71, PL-16400 Suwalki, Poland. Tel: +48-87-5664211, Fax: +48-87-5664934, Email: horacantavi@poczta.onet.pl - Website: http://republika.pl/horacantavi/ World Singing Festival for Men and Boys, Hradec Kralove and Prague, Czech Republic, 9-16 July 2004.

Open by invitation to boys' choirs and to men's choirs from the world. This festival specializes in teaching methods, repertoire, mentoring and choir role modeling for singing men and boys with special emphasis on changing and newly changed male voices. Contact: The Alliance for Arts & Understanding, Carol Stewart, Artistic Director, 34 Fox Creek Dr., Waukee, IA 50263, USA. Tel: +1-515-9871405, Fax: +1-515-9875480, Email: carolstewart@qwest.net Website: www.allianceforartandunderstanding.com Oakham International Summer School, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 10-17 July 2004. One week of musicmaking and learning in the beautiful rural setting of Oakham School in Rutland. With Peter Phillips and the

Tallis Scholars. Contact: Oakham International Summer School, Juliet Allan, General Manager, PO Box 992, Waterbeach, Cambridge CB5 9SQ, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44-1223-693281, Fax: +44-8700-516828, Email: juliet.allan@oiss.org.uk - Website: www.oiss.org.uk Conducting Symposium, Hradec Kralove and Prague, Czech Republic, 10-16 July 2004. This symposium provides opportunities for a limited number of developing choral conductors of all ages and stages to conduct and learn at the podium from skilled, internationally renowned master conductors. Contact: The Alliance for Arts & Understanding, Carol Stewart, Artistic Director, 34 Fox Creek Dr., Waukee, IA 50263, USA. Tel: +1-515-9871405, Fax: +1-515-9875480, Email: allianceforartsu@qwest.net Website: www.allianceforartandunderstanding.com Europa Cantat Int'l Singing Week for Children's Choirs, Kópavogur, Iceland, 12-18 July 2004. For children's and girls' choirs (equal voices aged 12 to 18). Apply before: 15 Feb 2004. Contact: Singing Week, c/o Thorunn Björnsdóttir, Kópavogsbraut 18, IS-200 Kópavogur, Iceland. Tel: +354-554-4548, Email: martein@mmedia.is 29th Singing Week "Musique en Morvan", Autun, Saône et Loire, France, 15-25 July 2004. Orthodox Liturgies.

Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms for choir and orchestra. Conductor: Alberto Grau (Venezuela). Open singing: orthodox and Spanish polyphonies. Contact: A Coeur Joie, Les Passerelles, 24 avenue Joannés Masset BP 9261, F-69337 Lyon Cedex 09, France.

Tel: +33-4-72198342, Fax: +33-4-78434398, Email: acj.france@wanadoo.fr Website: http://acj.musicanet.org/ International Choir and Orchestra Festival "Cantus Salisburgensis", Salzburg, Austria, 15-19 July 2004.

Kaleidoscope of Nations. For choirs and orchestras.

Specific pieces to be performed. Contact: Cultours Austria, Choir & Orchestra Concert Tours, Höglwörthweg 10/4, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.

Tel: +43-662-821310-0, Fax: +43-662-821310-40, Email: office@cultours.at - Website: www.cultours.at 16th European Grand Prix of Choral Singing, Gorizia, Italy, 16 July 2004. European Grand Prix of Choral Singing created upon initiative of the Int'l Competitions of Arezzo (Italy), Debrecen (Hungary), Gorizia (Italy), Tours (France), Varna (Bulgaria) and Tolosa (Spain).

Contact: Associazione Corale Goriziana "CA Seghizzi", Casella postale 7, Via Vittorio Veneto 174, Palazzina C, I-34170 Gorizia, Italy. Tel: +39-0481-530288, Fax: +39-0481-536739, Email: c.aseghizzi@tiscalinet.it Website: www.seghizzi.it World Youth Choir, Busan, South Korea, 26 July - 18 Aug 2004. An IFCM, Jeunesses Musicales and Europa Cantat project for talented young singers. Contact: International Center for Choral Music, Jean-Marc Poncelet, Avenue Jean 1er 2, 5000 Namur, Belgium.

Tel: +32-81-711600, Fax: +32-81-711609, Email: iccm@skynet.be Website: www.worldyouthchoir.net 4th European Academy of Choral Singing, Foix, France, 17-27 July 2004. Summer training course of choral singing in the French Pyrenees. Open to any amateur chorister. Final concert including all the participants.

Program: John Rutter (Requiem), Gabriel Fauré (Messe Basse - Cantique de Jean Racine). Contact: Dominique Grétillat, Artistic Director, Ginabat, F-09000 Montoulieu, France. Tel: +33-5-61656322, Fax: +33-5-61656322, Email: eurochoracad@free.fr Website: http://eurochoracad.free.fr/ Berkshire Choral Festival, Canterbury, United Kingdom, 18-25 July 2004. Singing week with training classes.

Works by Puccini and Rossini. Conductor: Amy Kaiser Contact: Berkshire Choral Festival, 245 North Undermountain Road, Sheffield, MA 01257, USA. Tel: +1-413-2298526, Fax: +1-413-2290109, Email: bcf@choralfest.org - Website: www.choralfest.org 3rd World Vision 2004 International Children's Choir Festival, Seoul, South Korea, 19-23 July 2004. From traditional and classical to contemporary music strike out the word festival here. Artistic Director: Hak-Won Yoon.

Contact: World Vision Korea Children's Choir, 711-11 Nakalsandong, Kangseoku, Seoul 157-833, South Korea.

Tel: +82-2-6621803, Fax: +82-2-6612568, Email: wvchoir@wvchoir.or.kr Website: www.worldvisionchoralfestival.com Canterbury International Choral Festival, United Kingdom, 22-26 July 2004. Rehearsals, choral workshops, and conducting masterclasses. Guest Conductor: Stephen Hatfield. Optional Post Festival Extension to London.

Contact: Canterbury International Choral Festival, Arts Bureau for the Continents, 350 Sparks Street, Suite 207A, Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8, Canada. Tel: +1-613-2343360, Fax: +1-613-2362636, Email: abc.@abc.ca Website: http://www.abc.ca 50th International Choral Contest of Habaneras and Polyphony, Torrevieja (Alicante), Spain, 22-30 July 2004. 7 days of outdoors habaneras and polyphony in the auditorium "Eras de la Sal" on the Mediterranean Sea coast. Apply before: 31 Jan 2004. Contact: Certamen Int'l de Habaneras de Torrevieja, C/ Patricio Perez, 10, 03180 Torrevieja - Valenciá, Spain. Tel: +34-965-710702, Fax: +34-965-712570, Email: manuel@habaneras.org Website: www.habaneras.org European Seminar for Young Composers "Choral Composers Today", Aosta, Italy, 25-31 July 2004. For composers and aspiring composers interested in choral music and choral conductors with composition and elaboration experience. Apply before: 30 April 2004. Contact: FENIARCO (Italian Federation of Regional Choir Associations), Via Altan 39, I-33078 San Vito al Tagliamento (PN), Italy. Tel: +39-0434-876724, Fax: +39-0434-877554, Email: feniarco@tin.it Website: www.feniarco.it Europa Cantat Int'l Singing Week, Nevers, France, 25-31 July 2004. For mixed choirs, children's choirs and individual singers. Apply before: 31 March 2004. Contact: Semaine Chantante Europa Cantat, Ville de Nevers, Hôtel de Ville, F-58036 Nevers Cedex, France.

Tel: +33-3-86684562, Fax: +33-3-86684563, Email: jean-claude.boyer@ville-nevers.fr Website: www.ville-nevers.fr 5th Taipei International Choral Festival, Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C., 25-31 July 2004. Open to all kinds of choirs and vocal ensembles (max. 40 members). Apply before: 31 Oct 2003. Contact: Taipei International Choral Festival, B1, #28, Lane 233, Tun Hua South Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei 106, Taiwan R.O.C.. Tel: +886-2-27733691, Fax: +886-2-27733692, Email: mail@tpf.org.tw Website: www.tpf.org.tw Choral Conducting and Vocal Group Technique, SaintMoritz, Switzerland, 26 July-7 Aug 2004. With Volker Hempfling and Sabine Horstmann. Apply before: 15 April 2004. Contact: Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend AMJ, Adersheimer Str. 60, D-38304 Wolfenbüttel, Germany.

Tel: +49-5331-46016, Fax: +49-5331-43723, Email: AMJMusikinderJugend@t-online.de Website: www.amj.allmusic.de 13th Festival des Choeurs Lauréats, Vaison-la-Romaine, France, 26 July- 1 Aug 2004. Festival with choirs from major European choir competitions. Contact: A Coeur Joie, Les Passerelles, 24 avenue Joannés Masset - BP 9261, F-69337 Lyon Cedex 09, France. Tel: +33-4-72198342, Fax: +33-4-78434398, Email: acj.france@wanadoo.fr Website: http://acj.musicanet.org/ First Summer Choral Gathering - Stravinsky, Chapias, Mexico, 26-31 July2004. Workshop for choirs, singers and directors - Rehearsal of the Symphony of Psalms by Stravinsky, masterclass in voice and conducting, organized with auspices of the Chapias Government.

Contact: EfrainEsperilla Website: www.conecultachiapas.gob.mx/coral 21st "Béla Bartók" International Choir Competition, Debrecen, Hungary, 28 July-1 August 2004.

Competition in contemporary choral music for six categories. The "Grand Prize" winner will be invited to the "Grand Prize of European Choral Music" competition held in Arezzo, Debrecen, Gorizia, Tolosa, Tours and Varna. Contact: Bartók Béla Nemzetközi Kórusverseny Irodája, Debreceni Kulturális és Fesztiválközpont Kft, Petöfi tér 10, H-4025 Debrecen, Hungary.

Tel: +36-52-525270, Fax: +36-52-525280, Email: debrecen@fesztivalkozpont.hu Website: www.bbcc.hu

1st International Choral Festival of Negro Spirituals, Detroit, USA, 29-31 July 2004. The festival entitled "Reclaiming the Tradition" of the Spiritual will broaden the awareness of the choral community about spirituals and will preserve this beautiful music by sharing the genre with choral ensembles from all over the world. In the memory of Moses Hogan. Contact: National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), A. Maxine O'Keefe, P.O. Box 27934, Detroit, MI 48227, USA, Fax: +1-313-8648963, Email: amaxineokeefe@sbcglobal.net 5th International Youth Chamber Choir Meeting, Usedom Island (Baltic Sea), Germany, 29 July-8 Aug 2004. 7 European youth chamber choirs; singers and accompanying persons: max. 35 persons, max. age: 25 years. Workshops by Oscar Boada (equal voices), Andreas Lönquist and Pr. Christian Grube (mixed voices).

Contact: Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend AMJ, Adersheimer Str. 60, D-38304 Wolfenbüttel, Germany.

Tel: +49-5331-46016, Fax: +49-5331-43723, Email: AMJMusikinderJugend@t-online.de Website: www.amj.allmusic.de Vivace International Choir Festival 2004, Veszprém, Hungary, 30 July-2 Aug 2004. Special combination of festival, competition and mini concert tour focused on the joys of life. Contact: c/o Városi Müvelödési Központ, Dózsa György u 2, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary.

Tel: +36-88-429693, Fax: +36-88-429693, Email: vmk1@veszprem.hu Website: www.vmk.veszprem.hu/events.html Choralies de Vaison-la-Romaine, France, 2-11 Aug 2004.

Large non-competitive choir meeting in the beautiful Roman town of Vaison. Workshops, open singing, concerts. Contact: A Coeur Joie France, Les Passerelles, 24, Avenue Joannès-Masset - CP 317, F-69337 Lyon Cedex 09, France. Tel: +33-4-72198340, Fax: +33-4-78434398, Email: acj.france@wanadoo.fr Website: http://acj.musicanet.org/ 20th Zimriya, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel, 2-12 Aug 2004. Workshops, open singing, choir to choir sessions, concerts. Workshop conductors: Simon Carrington, Jürgen Fassbender, Michael Gohl, Gary Graden, María Guinand and many others. Contact: ZIMRIYA, 4 Rehov Aharonowitz, Tel Aviv 63566, Israel.

Tel: +972-3-5280233, Fax: +972-3-6299524, Email: harzimco@netvision.net.il Website: www.zimriya.org.il 12th Multinational Chamber Choir, Vienna and Austrian Alps, Austria, 4-18 Aug 2004. Multinational project for INDIVIDUAL SINGERS (capable of singing in very small ensembles and/or one on a part at times as well) to be selected from the available applications to form a new chamber choir here in Austria and work on a plenary selection of sacred music as well as in a studio group for secular Renaissance works and another on various light music items. The rehearsing part of the meeting will be held on the Austrian Alps, ended by recordings and concerts in Austria, Vienna included. Musical director: Mag. Hermann Platzer, Austria; Organizational Chair: Monika Fahrnberger, Austria. Application deadline: March 1, 2004; first come, first served - according to spaces available in the voice parts. Full information (including exact rules for individual applications) is at http://choralnet.org/cat/mchch.html (in English) or http://choralnet.org/cat/mchchde.html (in German).

Contact: Monika Fahrnberger, Quellenstr. 18/38, A-1100 Wien, Austria, Email: monika.fahrnberger@univie.ac.at 5th International Choral Festival "San Juan Coral 2004", Argentina, 12-17Aug 2004. Concerts and workshops.

Non-competitive choral festival, for 8-10 selected nonprofessional, mixed, female, male and chamber choirs.

Selection on the basis of audition tapes. Contact: María Elina Mayorga, Pasaje Cervantes 1625, M1, Casa 7, Barrio SMATA, 5400 San Juan, Argentina.

Tel: +54-264-4234284, Fax: +54-264-4234284, Email: mariaelinamayorga@uolsinectis.com.ar or elinamayorga@hotmail.com or extension@uccuyo.edu.ar 3rd International "Waterford Sings!" Festival, Ireland, 12-15 Aug 2004. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: MSW Festivals c/o TM Inco Travel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary.

Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4204796, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com

Europa Cantat Int'l Singing Week, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 15-22 Aug 2004. For mixed choirs, vocal groups and individual singers. Apply before: 15 May 2004. Contact: Zavod sv. Stanislava/St. Stanislau's Institution, ˇtula 23, SI-1210 Ljubljana - ˇentvid, Slovenia.

Tel: +386-1-5822200 or 5822202, Fax: +386-1-5121065, Email: gregor.lotric@guest.arnes.si Website: www.zavod-svstanislav.si Canta Brasil 2004, Int'l Choir Festival, 3rd Int'l University Choir Festival, São Lourenço, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 17-22 Aug 2004.

Email: cantabrasil2004@zipmail.com.br or brazilchoirfestival@zipmail.com.br 4th Stuttgart Festival Choir and Orchestra, Stuttgart, Germany, 17 Aug-17 Sept 2004. Open to all choral singers worldwide aged between 18 and 30. Auditions will take place in Europe, Canada and the US during Jan/Feb 2004 (taped auditions are also possible). Contact: Nick Cohu, Festival Choir and Orchestra European Music Festival, Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, JohannSebastian-Bach-Platz, D-70178 Stuttgart, Germany.

Tel: +49-711-6192128, Fax: +49-711-6192112, Email: festivalensemble@bachakademie.de Website: www.festivalensemble.org 3rd International Choral Festival Mario Baeza, La Serena and Santiago, Chile, 20-29 Aug 2004. Open to mixed, male, female and chamber choirs. Apply before: 31 Oct 2003. Contact: Waldo Aránguiz-Thompson, Casilla 3133, Santiago, Chile. Tel: +56-2-2259977, Fax: +56-2-2233240, Email: waranguiz@aconex.cl Europa Cantat Vocal Jazz Days, Soesterberg, Netherlands, 21-27 Aug 2004. For advanced (choral) singers devoted to vocal jazz. The repertoire includes jazz as well as pop styles, both a cappella and accompanied.

Contact: KBZON, Felix Timmermansstraat, 50, NL-5751 LS Deurne, Netherlands. Tel: +31-493311100, Fax: +31-334701622, Email: walterf@worldonline.nl Website: www.debilstars.nl/vocaljazzdays/index 52nd "Guido d' Arezzo" International Polyphonic Competition, Arezzo, Italy, 25-29 Aug 2004. For amateur choral ensembles. Categories: Christian plainchant, polyphony, polyphony for children's voices, special competition, int'l choral festival of folksong. Apply before: 28 Feb 2004. Contact: Competition secretariat, c/o Fondazione Guido d' Arezzo, Corso Italia 102, I-52100 Arezzo, Italy. Tel: +39-0575-356203, Fax: +39-0575-324735, Email: fondguid@polifonico.org Website: www.polifonico.org Europa Cantat Int'l Singing Week "Alpe Adria Cantat", Lido di Jesolo, Venice, Italy, 28 Aug-5 Sept 2004. For mixed choirs, children's choirs and individual singers.

Apply before: 30 March 2004. Contact: Alpe Adria Cantat, Via Castellana 44, I-30174 Venezia/Mestre, Italy.

Tel: +39-041-958918, Fax: +39-041-950074, Email: asac.cori@usa.net or feniarco@tin.it Website: www.feniarco.it 23rd International Choral Week of Alava, Spain, 3-10 Sept 2004. For any kind of choirs. Contact: Javier Cameno, Manuel Iradier 35-5°, E-01005 Victoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Tel: +34-94-5268441, Fax: +34-94-5252112, Email: cameno@euskalnet.net Website: www.semanacoral.com 31st Int'l Meeting of Polyphonic Choirs "Cittá di Fano", Fano, Italy, 8-12 Sept 2004. Contact: Comune di Fano, Assessorato alla Cultura, Via Arco d'Augusto 53/b, I61032 Fano (PS), Italy. Tel: +39-0721-887412-3, Fax: +39-0721-825181, Email: cultura@mobilia.it Website: www.comune.fano.ps.it/cultura/incontri/ Magic Mozart Moments World Chorus Festival, Salzburg, Austria, 10-12 Sept 2004. For individual choral singers and choirs who want to join the Mozart-Choir with hundreds of voices from all over the world and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of Salzburg. Compulsory piece: Great Mass in c-minor KV 427. Choice pieces (each participants may choose 3 pieces to sing): Misericordias Domini KV 222, Venite Populi KV 260, Alma Dei Creatoris KV 277 and Inter Natos KV 72. Directed by Janos Czifra, director of the Salzburg Music Cathedral, Orchestra and Choir. Apply before: 1 June 2004. Contact: Cultours Austria, Choir & Orchestra Concert Tours, Höglwörthweg 10/4, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.

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Tel: +43-662-821310-0, Fax: +43-662-821310-40, Email: office@cultours.at - Website: www.cultours.at 8th International days of Choral Music "Caja de Burgos", Spain, 11-15 Sept 2004. For any kind of choirs.

Contact: Javier Cameno, c/Manuel Iradier 35-5°, E-01005 Victoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Fax: +34-945-252112, Email: cameno@euskalnet.net Website: www.semanacoral.com Berkshire Choral Festival, Salzburg - Mondsee, Austria, 12-19 September2004. Singing week with training classes.

Works by Mozart and various motets. Conductor: Vance George Contact: Berkshire Choral Festival, 245 North Undermountain Road, Sheffield, MA 01257, USA. Tel: +1-413-2298526, Fax: +1-413-2290109, Email: bcf@choralfest.org - Website: www.choralfest.org "Pevcheskiy Sobor" Choir Festival, Donetsk, Ukraine, 13-19 September 2004. Festival and creative laboratory, master-classes, lectures, open discussions, Contact: Mikhail Shukh, bul. Perova, h.16-v, fl. 85, 02125, Kiev, Ukraine. Tel: +380 (44) 510 03 57, Email: shukh@ukr.net - Website: www.sv-gory.org.ua

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10th Choral Composition and Expression Prizes, awarded 15 Sept 2004, Canary Islands, Spain. For children's and adult choirs with instruments, a cappella choirs and mixed choirs singing traditional Canary Islands folk music. Texts must be in Spanish. Contact: Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Plaza de los Derechos Humanos s/n, Edificio de Servicios Múltiples Uno, 5°, E-35003 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

Website: www.culturacanaria.com International Choir Festival of Uruguay 2004, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Colonia, Minas, San José, Salto, Paysandú, Uruguay, 18-26 Sept 2004. For choral ensembles from all over the world. Contact: Infinito Realizaciones Culturales , Avda. del Libertador 2074 Of.104, Montevideo, Uruguay. Tel: +598-2-9247798 or 9247943, Fax: +598-2-9246326, Email: infiprod@montevideo.com.uy Website: www.uruguaymarabierto.com.uy or www.movimento.com/ 3rd European Convivial Wine Song Festival, Pécs, Hungary, 23-27 Sept 2004. Open to all-male choirs and male vocal ensembles, celebrating grape, wine and good company. Contact: Pécsi Férfikar Alapítvány, c/o Tamas Lakner, Abaligeti út 19, H-7634 Pécs, Hungary, Fax: +36-72-211606, Email: tamas.lakner@freemail.hu Website: www.winesongfestival.hu/index-eng RIAS Kammerchor Conducting Course 2004, Berlin, Germany, 24-30 Sept 2004. Tutor: Daniel Reuss (Netherlands). Repertoire: Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Messiaen, Ligeti. Contact: RIAS Kammerchor, Charlottenstrasse 56, D-10117 Berlin, Germany.

Tel: +49-30-20298730, Fax: +49-30-20298740, Email: info@rias-kammerchor.de Website: www.rias-kammerchor.de Tonen 2000, Monster, Netherlands, 24-26 September 2004. For amateur mixed chamber choirs up to 36 singers and vocal ensembles up to 20 singers. Contact: Foundation SOP, Irenestraat 1, NL-2685 BZ Poeldijk, Netherlands. Tel: +31-174-245520, Fax: +31-174-245520, Email: vranken@caiw.nl 10th International J. Villarroel Choir Festival, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela, 28 Sept - 3 October 2004. Non competitive festival with concerts and workshops in the attractive Caribbean. Contact: Casa de la Cultura M.N.E Navarro, Calle Fermina, La Asunción, Isla de Marguerita, Venezuela. Tel: +58-295-2625048, Fax: +58-295-4168493, Email: xfestivaljv@cantv.net 7th International folksong Choir Festival "Europe and its Songs", Barcelona, Spain, 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2004. Noncompetitive, for male, female, mixed, youth and children's choirs. Repertoire of folksongs, ... with at least one piece from the choir's country of origin and one European folksong. Apply before: 2 June 2004. Contact: Associazione Internazionale Amici della Musica Sacra, Via Paolo VI, 29, 00193 Rome, Italy. Tel: +39-0668-805816, Fax: +39-0668-805816, Email: info-concorsi@aiams.it Website: www.amicimusicasacra.com

3rd Europa Cantat Int'l Competition for Young Choral Conductors, Vienna, Austria, 29 Sept - 3 Oct 2004.

Three rounds: selection, semi-final and final. Choirs involved: Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Wiener Kammerchor, Sine Nomine. Apply before: 31 May 2004. Contact: Österreichischer Sängerbund, Opernring, 11/5/10, A1010 Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43-1-5869494, Fax: +43-1-58694944, Email: chorleitung@saengerbund.at - Website: www.saengerbund.at International Choir Competition, Sofia, Bulgaria, 7-10 October 2004. Competition organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the City of Sofia. For amateur singers only. Mixed, male, female, children's, youth categories. Contact: Friends of Choral Music Foundation, 131, Vitosha Blvd, 1408 Sofia, Bulgaria.

Tel: +359-2-9504430, Fax: +359-2-9504431, Email: fcmf@abv.bg 11th "Musica Sacra Praga" International Choir and Oratorio Festival of Sacred Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 8-31 Oct 2004. Open for all categories.

Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz 6th International Festival of Romantic Music, Vlachovo Bfiezí, Prachatice, Vimperk, Kratochvíle Castle, south of Bohemia, Czech Republic, 8-10 Oct 2004. Concerts, workshop, competition. Contact: IPOS-ARTAMA, Dr. Jaroslava Modrochova, Blanická 4, POBox 12, 120 21 Prague 4, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-221-507961, Fax: +420-221-507955, Email: artama@ipos-mk.cz Website: www.ipos-mk.cz/artama International Choral Espoo Festival, Espoo, Finland, 1319 Oct 2004. Choirs from near and far are working on new music with the composers, the audience will play an active part as well. Contact: Choral Espoo, Helena Värri, Ahertajankuja 4, 02100 Espoo, Finland.

Tel: +358-9-81657504, Fax: +358-9-81657500, Email: hannele.grano@espoo.fi Website: www.choralespoo.fi

10th Athens International Choir Festival, Athens, Greece, 10-14 Nov 2004. Choirs competition/lyric soloist competition. Open to mixed, male, female, chamber, youth and children's choirs as well as folklore ensembles.

Apply before: 29 Feb 2004. Artistic Director: Dr. Thrassos Cavouras. Contact: Polifonia Atheaneum, 2, Spartis str., GR-153 42 Agia Paraskevi - Athens, Greece.

Tel: +30210-6080119, Fax: +30210-6918841, Email: info@inter-fest.com Website: www.musicweb.uk.net/sandh/ International Schubert Choir Competition, Vienna, Austria, 11-14 Nov 2004. International Schubert festivities in Vienna. Choirs must be non-professional and consist of a minimum of 16 singers. Apply before: 15 May 2003. Contact: ADM Blaguss, Schleifmühlgasse 1/14, A-1040 Wien, Austria. Tel: +43-1-5853939, Fax: +43-1-5853939-39, Email: adm@dmcvie.co.at Website: www.schubertchoralfestival.at 3rd "Prof. Ivan Spassov" Composers' Competition, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 19-21 Nov 2004. Contact: Prof.

Vassika Spassova, President, 2, T. Samodumov Str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Tel: +359-32-628311, Fax: +359-32-631668, Email: spassov@mail.com Website: www.spassov.homestead.com 13th International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 26-28 Nov 2004. Peter Eben Prize. Competition, work shop, concerts in the Prague churches. Contact: OR.FEA Prague.

Tel: +420-224-814458, Fax: +420-224-812612, Email: incoming@orfea.cz 4th Advent and Christmas Songs Festival, Budapest, Hungary, 3-6 Dec 2004. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Program: Advent and Christmas Songs. Apply before: May 2004. Contact: MSW Festivals c/o TM Inco Travel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4204796, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com

6th International Choir Festival & Competition "Isola del Sole", Grado, Italy, 20-24 Oct 2004. Competition in different categories and difficulties. Contact: Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.musica-mundi.com

5th "Prague Christmas" Int'l Festival of Advent and Christmas Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 10-12 Dec 2004. For children's and adult choirs, also for folklore groups. A rich frame programme and performance opportunities. Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic.

Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz - Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz

7th International Youthchoir Festival, Veldhoven, Netherlands, 23-25 October 2004. For youth choirs and vocal groups like students, gospel ensembles, pop choirs including singers aged 13 to 30. Contact: International Youthchoir Festival, Karin Hazenberg, Kometenlaan 4, NL-5505 PP Veldhoven, Netherlands.

Tel: +31-40-2545220, Fax: +31-40-2785449, Email: info@iyf.nl - Website: www.iyf.nl/

"World of Opera" 1st Int'l Competition Festival of Opera Choruses, Prague, Czech Republic, 2-5 Jan 2005.

A rich frame programme (symphony concert visit, State Opera Prague performance visit). Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz

International Choir Competition, Dubrovnik, Croatia, 24-27 October 2004. Non competitive festival for 10 to 12 amateur mixed, female and male choirs Contact: Dubrovnik Chamber Choir / Frano Krasovac, Otrosmajerova 3, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Tel: +385-20-427571, Fax: +385-20-427571, Email: dkz@net.hr

7th Inter.Pa'amon Festival for Children & Youth Choirs, Jordan Valley, Israel, 10-12 Feb 2005. Youth Mixed Choirs will work together on a common repertoire, at the beautiful site of the Sea of Galilee, in a warm & non-competitive atmosphere. Guest Conductor: Michael Gohl.

Workshops & concerts. Apply before May 30th 2004.

Contact: Tova Reshef, Music DirectorTova Reshef / Choral Conductor, Artistic Director, Atzmon, 20170 Misgav D.N., Israel, Fax: +972-4-9909176, Email: reshefit@netvision.net.il

1st International Showcase for Choir Singing Polyfollia 2004, La Manche, Normandy, France, 28 Oct-1 Nov 2004. A reference meeting point between the best amateur choirs and promoters and organizers of festivals, music seasons, etc.... Plus a "choral festive party" open to all choirs. Contact: Polyfollia, Jacques Vanherle, Avenue des Canadiens 16, 14111 Louvigny, France.

Tel: +33-2-31747740, Fax: +33-2-31747740, Email: polyfollia@wanadoo.fr 9th International Vocal Group Festival, Tilburg, Netherlands, 2-7 November 2004. Under the motto Sing Swing Show & Learn some 45 vocal groups from Holland and abroad will sing during the Contest (3 levels) and on the Open Stage. The Festival will also offer the chance to attend workshops and clinics given by internationally renowned conductors and teachers. Contact: Unisono, Plompetorengracht 3, NL-3512 CA Utrecht, Netherlands.

Tel: +31-30-2335600, Fax: +31-30-2335680, Email: ivgf@amateurmuziek.nl Website: www.amateurmuziek.nl

Happy Birthday Händel, Halle (Saale), Germany, 24-28 Feb 2005. International choir festival in honour of Georg Friedrich Händel in his home town Halle. Central to the choir programme is a joint performance of Messiah with up to 500 singers. Contact: Happy Birthday Händel, Schleiermacherstr. 1, DE-06114 Halle, Germany, Email: hbh@t-online.de Website: www.happy-birthday-handel.de Madetoja International Male Choir Competition, Lahti, Finland, 12 March 2005. Contact: Mieskuoroliitto ry, Fredrikinkatu 51-53B, FIN-00100 Helsinki, Finland.

Tel: +358-9-41361137, Fax: +358-9-41361122, Email: mieskuoroliitto@sulasol.fi Website: www.sulasol.fi/mkl

10th International Choir Competition, Budapest, Hungary, 20-24 March 2005. Competition in different categories and difficulties for mixed, female, male, chamber choirs & vocal ensembles, children's & youth choirs, and folklore ensembles. Contact: Interkultur Hungaria Kht, Rottenbiller u 16-22, H-1074 Budapest, Hungary.

Tel: +36-1-4621330, Fax: +36-1-3429362, Email: bacs@axelero.hu - Website: www.musica-mundi.com.com/mc_en/index.html 9th International Choir Festival "Tallinn 2005", Estonia, 21-24 April 2005. Choir Festival including a contest for mixed, female, male, chamber and children's choirs and a series of concerts in the churches and concert halls of Tallinn. Contact: Estonian Choral Society, 23 Suur - Karja St., EE-10148 Tallinn, Estonia. Tel: +372-6-441849, Fax: +372-6-449147, Email: kooriyhing@kul.ee Website: www.kooriyhing.ee 6th International Choir Festival 2003, Bad Ischl, Austria, 28 April-2 May 2005. For children's, female youth, male youth, mixed youth, female, male and mixed vocal ensembles or choirs. Apply before: 31 Dec 2004. Contact: Salzkammergut Touristik, Incoming Reisebüro, Götzstraße 12, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria. Tel: +43-6132-4000-0, Fax: +43-6132-24000-44, Email: office@salzkammergut.co.at 2nd International Male Voice Choral Festival, Cornwall, United Kingdom, 28 April-2 May 2005. Festival gala concerts, int'l male voice choral competition, concerts, workshops, sightseeing. Apply before: 1 Nov 2004.

Contact: Cornwall International Male Voice Festival Ltd., Mr. Peter Gould, Glyncrest, 34 St. Michael's Road, Ponsanooth, Truro, Cornwall TR3 7EE, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44-1872-864243, Fax: +44-1872-864243, Email: glyncrest@aol.com Website: www.tacro.com/organisation.htm International Chamber Choir Festival and Competition, Pécs, Hungary, 28 April-2 May 2005. Contact: Pécsi Nevelök Háza, Szent István tér 17, H-7621 Pécs, Hungary. Tel: +36-72-315679, Fax: +36-72-315679, Email: nevhaz@matavnet.hu - Website: www.ckh.ini.hu 13th Festival International de Chant Choral de Nancy, France, 4-8 May 2005. Contact: Festival Int'l de Chant Choral de Nancy, BP 3335, F-54000 Nancy, France.

Tel: +33-3-83275656, Fax: +33-3-83275566, Email: festival-choral@wanadoo.fr Website: www.fest.chantchoral.free.fr/ 5th Harmonie Festival 2005, LimburgLindenholzhausen, Germany, 5-9 May 2005.

Organizer: the Harmonie Lindenholzhausen male choir.

14 different competitions for choirs and folk groups, concerts and folk performances with an audience of up to 4,000 people and the hospitality of a whole region.

Contact: Harmonie Festival 2005, Bahnhofstr. 65, D-65551 Limburg-Lindenholzhausen, Germany.

Tel: +49-6431-73268 (Mr. Karl-Heinz Dernbach, Organisation) or +49-6431-72968 (Mr. Gerhard Neunzerling-Dernbach, Organisation Folk groups).

Fax: +49-6431-976647 Email: information@harmonie-festival.de Website: www.harmonie-festival.de Tampere Vocal Music Festival, Finland, 8-12 June 2005.

Chorus review and ensemble singing contest. Concerts presenting int'l artists. Training courses for choir leaders and singers. Lectures and workshops by int'l experts.

Apply before March 21, 2005. Contact: Tampere Sävel, Tampere Vocal Music Festival, Tullikamarinaukio 2, FIN-33100 Tampere, Finland. Tel: +358-3-31466136, Fax: +358-3-2230121, Email: music@tampere.fi Website: www.tampere.fi/vocal 33st International Festival of Songs, Olomouc, Czech Republic, 8-12 June 2005. For choirs in all categories from all around the world. Contact: Festa Musicale, Slovenská 5, CZ-77900 Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Tel: +420-585-237373, Fax: +420-585-237373, Email: festamusicale@atlas.cz Website: www.festamusicale.cz 12th "Musica Sacra Praga" Int'l Choir and Oratorio Festival of Sacred Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 10 June-17 July 2005. Open for all categories. Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608,

Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz 3rd International "Midsummer Festival" for Choirs, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-19 June 2005. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: MSW Festivals, c/o TM IncoTavel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4270740, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com 7th Des Moines International Children's Choral Festival, Des Moines, Iowa, USA, 19-25 June 2005. This festival will explore the intimate relation between "Music and Movement" and presents an opportunity for fine children's voices from around the world to experience one another's music, culture and friendship through a variety of individual and mass performances led by international clinicians such as Sanna Valvanne (Finland) and Cristian Grases (Venezuela) that have developed the concept of music and movement with children's choirs. Contact: Iowa Youth Chorus, 1011 Locust Street, suite 400, Des Moines, Iowa, 50309, USA. Tel: +1-515-2628312, Email: pauletteihrig@iowayouthchorus.org Website: www.iowayouthchorus.org Coastal Sound International Choral Festival, June 29 July 3, 2005. Coastal Sound Music Academy, Donna Otto, Artistic Director, Morna Edmundson, Associate Artistic Director presents a new biennial, non-competitive Choral Festival in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Treble Children's Choir and SATB Youth Choirs will participate in five days of concerts, rehearsals, fun and friendship. Guest Clinicians: Sanna Valvanne (Finland), Diane Loomer (Canada) and musica intima vocal ensemble (Canada). Application deadline: December 1, 2004. Contact: Coastal Sound International Choral Festival, P.O. Box 64528, Coquitlam, British Columbia V3J 7V7 Canada. Tel: +1-604-469-5973, Fax: +1-604-469-5974, Email: info@coastalsoundmusic.com Website: www.coastalsoundmusic.com World Choral Festival Salzburg & Vienna, Austria, 23-25 June 2005. A "Once in a Lifetime" opportunity to perform in Salzburg and Vienna with the world renowned "Vienna Boys' Choir" and the "Vienna Male Choral Society" in Salzburg at the "Grand Hall" of the "Mozarteum" and in Vienna. Contact: Haring KEG Choral Festivals, Michael Haring, Gruenentorgasse 10/7, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43-664-1811180, Fax: +43-1-3175460, Email: World.Choral.Festivals@chello.at Website: www.austrianfestivals.at/ 3rd Int'l Choir Competition of Sacred Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 23-25 June 2005. For mixed, female, chamber and children´s choirs. A rich frame programme and performance opportunities. Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz Copenhagen International Children's chorus Festival, Denmark, 27 June - 4 July 2005. International children's choruses totalling 400-500 singers will join for daily rehearsals culminating in a gala concert with orchestra in the Tivoli Gardens. Contact: Musica Mundi, Inc, 101 First Street, Suite 454, Los Altos, 94022, USA. Tel: +1-650-9491991, Fax: +1-650-9491626, Email: tours@musicamundi.com Website: www.musicamundi.com 7th International Choir Festival "Summer Songs", Sopron, Hungary, 30 June-3 July 2005. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: MSW Festivals c/o TM Inco Travel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4204796, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com "Sing to the Lord" 3rd Multinational Choir, Prague, Czech Republic, 1-14 July 2005. Meeting in Prague. For small groups and individual participants. Working language English. Pre-studied material: sacred compositions from Dvorák, Janácek and further Czech and world composers. Concerts and recording sessions in the Barock and Gothic churches in Prague and in various Czech locations.

Musical director: P. Dent, Vancouver, Canada. Contact:

Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic. Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz FESTIVAL 500 Sharing the Voices, St. John's, Canada, 3-10 July 2005. This world-renowned international festival of choral music will feature the world on stage with more than 75 concerts. The four-voice ensemble De Boca En Boca of Argentina will give celebration to LatinAmerican traditions in singing and conductors María Guinand (Venezuela) and Tõnu Kaljuste (Estonia) will lead the massed choir performances at the Grande Finale concert at Mile One Stadium. Contact: Paulette Campbell Tel: +1(709)738-6013 Fax: +1(709) 738-6014.

Email: information@festival500.com Website: www.festival500.com Tuscany International Children's Chorus Festival, Florence, Italy, 4-12 July 2005. Int'l Children's choruses totalling 300-400 singers will join Joan Gregoryk for daily rehearsals culminating in gala festival concert in Florence.

Individual ensemble concerts in Florence and Tuscany.

Includes two-days' post-festival extension to Rome and participation in mass at St. Peter's Basilica. Contact: Musica Mundi Concert Tours, 101 First Street, Suite 454, Los Altos, CA 94022, USA. Tel: +1-650-949-1991, Fax: +1-650-949-1626, Email: tours@musicamundi.com Website: www.musicamundi.com 23rd Int'l Choir Festival of Preveza - 11th Int'l Choir Competition of Sacred Music, Preveza, Greece, 7-10 July 2005. For mixed, equal voices', children's, chamber vocal ensembles, mixed youth choirs & choirs of Byzantine chant. Repertory must include a compulsory piece, a piece composed before 1800, a piece composed during 1800 1950, a piece composed after 1950 & a folk song from the choir's country of origin. Apply before: 28 February 2005. Contact: Choral Society "Armonia" of Prevesa, P. O. Box 139, GR-48 100 Preveza, Greece.

Tel: +30-2682-24915 / 29852, Fax: +30-2682-29852, Email: armonia4@otenet.gr Website: http://users.otenet.gr/~armonia4/ 5th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival & Competition, Wernigerode, Germany, 7-10 July 2005.

Competition in different categories and difficulties.

Contact: Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.musica-mundi.com 3rd World Children's Choir Festival, Hong Kong, China, 9-14 July 2005. Concerts, workshops, with choirs from all over the world, World Children's Choir with members selected from the world's best children's choirs. World premieres of commissioned works. Possibility of choral exchange tour in China. Registration deadline: 30 April 2004. Contact: c/o RhapsoArts Management Ltd., 4/F, Albion Plaza, 2-6 Granville Rd, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel: +852-2722-1650.

Fax: +852-2724-1960. Email: info@rhapsoarts.com Website: www.hktreblechoir.com Pacific Rim Children's Chorus Festival, Honolulu, Hawaii, 12-20 July 2005. An adventure and exploration of distinctive music from countries around the Pacific Rim. Artistic Director: Henry Leck. For treble choirs only.

Participants will interactively explore Polynesian music, dance, instruments, language and story telling with native speakers and instructors. Contact: Wanda Gereben, Executive Director, 159 Laimi Road, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Tel: +1-808-5950233, Fax: +1-808-5955129, Email: info@PacRimFestival.org Website: www.PacRimFestival.org International Choir and Orchestra Festival "Cantus Salisburgensis", Salzburg, Austria, 14-18 July 2005.

Kaleidoscope of Nations. For choirs and orchestras.

Specific pieces to be performed. Contact: Cultours Austria, Choir & Orchestra Concert Tours, Höglwörthweg 10/4, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.

Tel: +43-662-821310-0, Fax: +43-662-821310-40, Email: office@cultours.at - Website: www.cultours.at 7th World Symposium on Choral Music, Kyoto, Japan, 27 July-3 Aug 2005. Contact: WSCM, c/o Japan Choral Association, Yagunimuna bldg. 6F, 1-5-8 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013, Japan,

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6th International Choir Competition 2006, Miltenberg, Bavaria, Germany, 6-9 July 2006. Two categories: Symphony of Voices (choir compositions with one compulsory composition) and Folksongs,spirituals & jazz.

Apply before: 31 Jan 2004. Contact: Kulturreferat des Landkreises Miltenberg, Brückenstr. 2, 63897 Miltenberg, Germany. Tel: +49-9371-501503, Fax: +49-9371-50179503, Email: kultur@lra-mil.de Website: www.chorwettbewerb-miltenberg.de or www.vocalensemble-moemlingen.de

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4th International "Waterford Sings!" Festival, Ireland, 11-14 Aug 2005. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Contact: MSW Festivals c/o TM Inco Travel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary.

Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4204796, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com

International Choir and Orchestra Festival "Cantus Salisburgensis", Salzburg, Austria, 13-17 July 2006.

Kaleidoscope of Nations. For choirs and orchestras.

Specific pieces to be performed. Contact: Cultours Austria, Choir & Orchestra Concert Tours, Höglwörthweg 10/4, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.

Tel: +43-662-821310-0, Fax: +43-662-821310-40, Email: office@cultours.at - Website: www.cultours.at

12th EUROTREFF in Wolfenbüttel/Germany, 07.11.09.2005. Concerts, 8 workshops with internat'l. conductors, much contemporary music. For children's and youth choirs. Contact: Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend (AMJ), Adersheimer Str. 60, D-38304 Wolfenbüttel, Germany, Tel: ++49-5331-46017, Fax: ++49-5331-43723, website: www.amj-musik.de

Europa Cantat Festival 2006, Mainz, Germany, 28 July 6 August 2006. Choice of workshops, open singing, conductors' courses, and much more. Contact: Europa Cantat Festival 2006, Postfach 2607, D-53016 Bonn, Germany.

Tel: +49-228-9125663, Fax: +49-228-9125658, Email: info@europacantat.org Website: http://www.ec2006.de/

2nd International Choir Contest, Viña del Mar, Chile, 912 Sept 2003. For mixed choirs from all over the world (Min. 16, max. 45 singers). Apply before: June 1, 2003.

Contact: 1st Int'l Choir Contest, Viña del Mar 2003, Alejandro Scarpetta, Perú 2453 5° 10, 5500 Provincia de Mendoza, Argentina. Tel: +54-261-4203793, Email: concursocorosvinadelmar@yahoo.com.ar

Vivace International Choir Festival 2006, Veszprém, Hungary, 11-14 Aug 2006. Special combination of festival, competition and mini concert tour focused on the joys of life. Contact: c/o Városi Müvelödési Központ, Dózsa György u 2, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary.

Tel: +36-88-429693, Fax: +36-88-429693, Email: vmk1@veszprem.hu Website: www.vmk.veszprem.hu/events.html

Fax: +81-3-54217151, Email: ws7@jcanet.or.jp Website: www.jcanet.or.jp/wscm Vivace International Choir Festival 2005, Veszprém, Hungary, 5-8 Aug 2005. Special combination of festival, competition and mini concert tour focused on the joys of life. Contact: c/o Városi Müvelödési Központ, Dózsa György u 2, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary.

Tel: +36-88-429693, Fax: +36-88-429693, Email: vmk1@veszprem.hu Website: www.vmk.veszprem.hu/events.html

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5th Advent and Christmas Songs Festival, Budapest, Hungary, 2-5 Dec 2005. Non-competitive festival for choirs in all categories. Program: Advent and Christmas Songs. Apply before: May 2005. Contact: MSW Festivals c/o TM Inco Travel, II. Rákóczi F út 216, 1214 Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-4270740, Fax: +36-1-4204796, Email: mwsfestivals@axelero.hu Website: www.mwsfestivals.com 6th "Prague Christmas" Int'l Festival of Advent and Christmas Music, Prague, Czech Republic, 9-11 Dec 2005. For children's and adult choirs, also for folklore groups. A rich frame programme and performance opportunities. Contact: Club Tours Agentur, Pavel ˇvarc, Na Hájku 367, 180 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic.

Tel: +420-2-84826608, Fax: +420-2-84826608, Email: cta@iol.cz - Website: www.accordion.cz or www.choirs.cz 5th International Robert Schumann Choir Competition, Zwickau, Germany, May 2006. Competition in different categories and difficulties. Apply before Jan 1, 2006.

Contact: Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.musica-mundi.com World Choral Festival Salzburg & Vienna, Austria, 22-24 June 2006. A "Once in a Lifetime" opportunity to perform in Salzburg and Vienna with the world renowned "Vienna Boys' Choir" and the "Vienna Male Choral Society" in Salzburg at the "Grand Hall" of the "Mozarteum" and in Vienna. Contact: Haring KEG Choral Festivals, Michael Haring, Gruenentorgasse 10/7, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43-664-1811180, Fax: +43-1-3175460, Email: World.Choral.Festivals@chello.at Website: www.austrianfestivals.at/

6th International Johannes Brahms Choir Festival & Competition, Wernigerode, Germany, 5-8 July 2007.

Competition in different categories and difficulties.

Contact: Interkultur Foundation, Am Weingarten 3, D-35412 Pohlheim, Germany. Tel: +49-6403-956525, Fax: +49-6403-956529, Email: mail@musica-mundi.com - Website: www.musica-mundi.com Coastal Sound International Choral Festival, June 28 July 2, 2007. Coastal Sound Music Academy, Donna Otto, Artistic Director, Morna Edmunson, Associate Artistic Director present its second biennial, non-competitive Choral Festival in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Treble Children's Choir and SATB Youth Choirs will participate in five days of concerts, rehearsals, fun and friendship. Application deadline: December 1, 2006. Contact: Coastal Sound International Choral Festival, P.O. Box 64528, Coquitlam, British Columbia V3J 7V7 Canada. Tel: +1-604-469-5973, Fax: 1+604-469-5974, Email: info@coastalsoundmusic.com Website: www.coastalsoundmusic.com Vivace International Choir Festival 2007, Veszprém, Hungary, 3-6 Aug 2007. Special combination of festival, competition and mini concert tour focused on the joys of life. Contact: c/o Városi Müvelödési Központ, Dózsa György u 2, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary.

Tel: +36-88-429693, Fax: +36-88-429693, Email: vmk1@veszprem.hu Website: www.vmk.veszprem.hu/events.html

p 35

ACFEA

p 32

AIAMS

p 55

Arts Bureau for the Continents

p 39

Carus-Verlag

p 74

City of Vigevano

p 58

Collegium USA

p 35

Festival 500

p 49

Gm Travel

p 33

Hawaii Pacific University

p 49

Hong Kong Treble Choir Association

p 28,29 IFCM p 45

I Madrigalisti Ambrosiani

p 40,44 INTERKULTUR Foundation 72,76 p9

International Workshops

p 55

Intropa Tours

p 54

Musica Mundi

p 12

Pacific Rim Music Resources

p4

Publimedia - F.C.S.

p 16

Small World

p 12

Toronto Children’s Chorus

p 23

Torrevieja - Catalonia

p 37

Village Harmony

p 75

World Chamber Choir

p 55

World Projects

p 73

World Youth Choir

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